A Recipe for MariChat
by MsBlackOut
Summary: Longing for a tasty serving of MariChat, with a side of LadyNoir and Adrinette? Then look no further (sorry we're out of Ladrien). Cat Noir confesses his love for Ladybug and is shattered when rejected. Marinette picks up the pieces and a friendship develops. Things become complicated when he encourages her to pursue Adrien.
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Reader,_

 _It has come to my attention that there is a formula to a lot of MariChat fan fics. After this discovery, I challenged myself to throw one together relatively quickly. I've pieced together the recipe chapters and hope you enjoy the lead up to the final dish. Bon appetite._

* * *

 _Chapter One – Coarsely grate happiness with rejection, use comfort to season_

The bass was so loud you could feel it. The lights so bright it was like day while Jagged Stone strummed his guitar and sang to his eager fans. Ladybug and Cat Noir danced at the side of the stage just out of sight.

"This is so awesome," Cat Noir shouted with a massive smile.

Ladybug nodded, "To think he actually wrote a song about us."

"Rock and riff baby," he raised his fist and bumped it against hers.

"Looks like we're up," she yelled as Jagged Stone started their new song. The pair raced onto the stage waving to the crowd as they moved to the beat. Jagged welcomed them and began to sing.

Ladybug laughed as Cat Noir spun his baton and showed off his flair to the audience. As the song reached its solo he held out his hand to her and the crowd let out an encouraging roar. They danced together and their eyes sparkled, when the song reached its end he dipped her and they both grinned liked kids on Christmas day. That shared moment stirred feelings in Cat Noir that he'd been wanting to express for some time.

They stayed on stage for the following three songs then made their departures via yoyo and baton. They moved away to the darker edges and found a roof to view the outdoor concert. "My face hurts from smiling so much," Ladybug said with a chuckle.

"Mine too," he beamed. "Hey how about we get some gelato?"

She gave him a thoughtful look, "Okay, got somewhere in mind?"

"I do, follow me milady." He threw her a cheeky smirk, "If you can keep up."

An easy camaraderie settled between them as Ladybug lost some of her seriousness and went along with Cat Noir's playfulness. They settled high upon the Eiffel Tower to eat their gelatos. "You've got some on your face," she said innocently.

He self-consciously raised his hand, "Where?"

She swiftly dabbed the end of her gelato cone on the tip of his nose.

"Hey!" he grumbled as he wiped off the offending mark.

She giggled, "Sorry I couldn't resist."

He laid his head against her shoulder and looked up at her, "It's my animal magnetism, resistance is futile."

She raised a brow and then squealed as he launched his mango gelato at her. She tumbled onto her back laughing as he got her chin. He placed an elbow either side of her shoulders and grinned down at her, "Just desserts."

She rolled her eyes, "I knew there'd have to be a pun in there somewhere."

"I know you secretly cherish my puns."

They continued to look at each other giggling. Then the laughing stopped and Cat Noir's eyes strayed to the gelato on her chin. His thumb slowly brushed it away, then swept back to caress her lips. He inched towards her then stopped and his gaze returned to her eyes. "You're something else, bug-a-boo." He sat up and unzipped his side pocket with his free hand and pulled out a small square of paper. "I've got something for you," he said with a hopeful smile.

Ladybug propped herself up on an elbow and he read to her,

"Roses are red,

Your suit is too,

This cat's _feline_

much love for you."

Her eyebrows drew together, "Cat Noir are you teasing?"

He shifted closer and his eyes turned serious, "No teasing just the truth. I love you Ladybug and I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you."

She sat up and held the gelato cone in both hands, watching as small streams melted down her gloved hands. "I don't know what to say."

He shuffled so his upper arm rested against hers, "You seem surprised. I thought I'd made my feelings pretty obvious."

She frowned, "But I thought you enjoyed flirting, I didn't think you were serious."

"I only flirt with you."

She gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, mostly you. I slip up occasionally." He took a lick of his gelato, "When it comes down to it though I'm a one-woman guy and that one woman is you."

She closed her eyes and her hands tightened on the cone, "I'm flattered Cat Noir but my heart belongs to someone else."

He didn't move and didn't speak. She had to open her eyes to see if he was still breathing. There was a look of utter pain and anguish on his face and she wished she could take back the words. His voice was low when he finally spoke, "I should have known. It explains why you always push me away."

She placed a hand on his forearm, "I'm sorry."

For the first time, he pulled away from her. The poem slipped from his fingers and drifted to the floor. He ran a shaking hand roughly through his hair then tossed the gelato aside. He didn't look at her but she heard the misery in his voice, "I need to go."

He extended his baton and fled. She watched him go then picked up the poem. Her bottom lip quivered. She'd hurt her partner and she wasn't going to let him suffer alone.

* * *

Cat Noir had never experience such emotional pain. The loss of his mother had been terrible but that had been a different kind of pain. His chest felt hollow yet heavy and his breathing was ragged as he tried not to cry. His vision blurred with unshed tears and when he stopped he found himself outside his school. Being night the school was empty so he sank down onto the front steps and held his head in his hands.

His cat ears pricked up as he heard soft footfalls coming his way. His tail twitched as he sat rigid and his heart sped up as a familiar silhouette came into view. He stood ready to move when the light spilled over her and he let out a relieved breath. He dipped his head to shadow his face as he hoped to hide his turmoil, "Hello Marinette."

Her voice was tentative as she spotted him, "Cat Noir?" She walked cautiously towards him as if nearing a startled rabbit. Her eyes studied him with concern, "Are you okay?"

He frowned and his hair swayed as he shook his head, "No I'm not."

She twisted her hands together, "I'm heading home, you're welcome to join me for a hot chocolate."

His chin lifted, the light exposed his face and she was able to see how distraught he was. He nodded, "Sounds good."

She considered holding a hand out to him but decided against it. Instead she walked side by side with him until they reach the bakery. On the way, she had cast glances at him and her heart sank. The usually bright and over the top Cat Noir looked deflated and defeated. His cat ears drooped, his tail hung low and the tip twitched. His infectious smile was replaced with a barely suppressed frown. Had Ladybug broken Cat Noir in a way no akuma victim ever could? She shuddered at the thought. She unlocked the door and led him inside. "Would you like something to eat with the hot chocolate?"

His eyes wandered over the empty display cabinets, "Are the treats invisible?"

She chuckled, "All of the remaining stock from today was taken off the shelf. Fresh is best my friend."

A small smile graced his lips, "Spinning me a line now, Princess."

"Nothing but the truth," she said as she led him to the bakery kitchen and dug out a couple of croissants and choc chip cookies.

"Your parents won't mind?"

She shook her head, "This stuff isn't so fresh which makes it fair game. Besides they're out visiting friends so they won't know."

Cat Noir blinked in surprise, "You're okay with me being here? I mean you don't really know me that well and…"

She lifted a hand to quieten him, "You're one of Paris' heroes, if I can't trust you who can I trust."

A genuine smile lit up his face as he took a bow, "At your service, little lady. Especially when hot chocolate is involved."

"Speaking of which let's go upstairs and I'll get that sorted."

It didn't take long for Marinette to get their late-night snack organised. They headed to the lounge room and sank into the sofas. She fiddled with her cuticles then hesitantly asked, "So, what happened tonight to get you so down?"

Cat Noir peered over the rim of his mug and sighed, "I made a stupid mistake."

"Can't have been that stupid, you're still in one piece."

The corner of his lip twitched but his eyes remained sad as he looked into the mug, "I told Ladybug I love her. She doesn't feel the same. Now I wish I'd kept my mouth shut."

Marinette tucked her legs and pulled a pillow onto her lap, "Maybe you took her by surprise."

He sighed, "I did. That was pretty clear."

She moved to sit beside him, "She might not share your feelings, but she does care about you Cat."

He sat the mug down, leant his elbows on his thighs and lowered his face to his hands. She gently laid a hand on his back and felt him shudder as he began to sob. Guilt consumed her, she had done this to him. She nudged his shoulder and guided him into her arms. He buried his face against her neck and cried. She alternated between rubbing soothing circles on his back and stroking his hair while cooing, "I'm here, I've got you." He held onto her tightly and when he finally relaxed they fell asleep together.

* * *

She was startled awake when she heard the door open. She blinked at the bright light from the doorway and Tom gave her a bemused grin, "That cat looks a bit big for your lap, Marinette. Why is Cat Noir here?"

She tried not to panic and decided to share some of the truth, "I saw him outside really upset. He looked like he needed someone to talk to so I invited him in for hot chocolate. I ended up hugging him and I guess we must have dozed off."

Tom's moustache lifted in a smile, "I guess even superheroes need someone to lean on." He picked up a throw rug and lay it over them. He placed an affectionate hand on his daughter's head, "You make me proud sweetheart but if he's anything but a gentleman he'll have me to answer to."

"Okay Dad," she said with a nervous smile and he closed the door mostly shut. She felt so guilty she wanted to curl in on herself, she was the cause of Cat Noir's distress, not that she could tell her father that. She looked down at Cat Noir's face, he was sound asleep on her chest. She laid her head on top of his and her nose twitched as it brushed one of his cat ears. She took a deep breath, cradled her arms around him and settled back to sleep.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm currently polishing my drafts and intend to publish as soon as they're shiny.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two – Mix with a cup of angst and humour_

The first rays of dawn shone in on Cat Noir's face and he scrunched his eyes before blinking them open, he felt like someone had thrown sand in them. His throat was parched too, yet he felt oddly content. His eyes widened as he realised he was lying on someone, he pushed himself up sharply and then relaxed. He'd fallen asleep with Marinette. It was the first time he'd ever woken up with a girl and he decided he liked it.

Some of her hair had come loose from her pigtails and the sunlight highlighted her profile. She looked so pretty and peaceful. He grimaced when he realised he'd drooled on her shirt. His hand went to brush it away when he realised he'd be touching the inside of her breast and he quickly retracted his hand. Instead he gently removed her arms from his back and covered her with the blanket. He pushed the stray hair her from her eyes and sighed. Then his mind recalled how he'd ended up with Marinette and his heart sank.

"Good morning Cat Noir," Tom boomed then raised a hand to his mouth as he watched the boy jump. "Sorry I didn't mean to frighten you."

Cat Noir's tail flicked, "It's okay. I didn't realise you knew I was here."

"I found you two asleep when Sabine and I got home. Marinette explained everything. Come down and have some breakfast."

He frowned, "I'd love to but I should really get home. I never meant to be out this long."

"That's fine we don't want your family worrying about you," Tom said as he dusted his hands on his apron.

Cat Noir looked back to Marinette as she continued to sleep. "Thanks Marinette," he whispered. He turned to Tom, "Thanks for letting me stay."

Tom placed a large hand on his shoulder, "You're welcome here anytime, son. But as Marinette's father I need to say this, don't do anything I wouldn't approve of with my daughter."

Cat Noir's face turned scarlet, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Tom patted his shoulder, "I'm glad to hear it."

* * *

Marinette woke with a stiff neck and wondered why she wasn't in bed. Then it all came rushing back. She tossed aside the blanket and noticed Cat Noir was no longer there. She looked at their mugs from the night before and sighed, she hoped he was doing okay. Being a school day she went through the motions of her morning routine and found her mother in the kitchen. "So, we had a visitor last night," Sabine said with a mischievous smile.

Marinette yawned, "Yeah I'm guessing Dad told you the story."

She nodded, "Poor Cat Noir. Did you find out why he was so upset?"

Marinette sucked on her bottom lip, "He was heartbroken."

"Who was heartbroken?" Alya said as she strolled in.

Marinette bumped her glass, grabbed at it frantically and saved it from spilling.

"Cat Noir," Sabine answered.

Alya looked confused, "What was he heartbroken about and how did you find out?"

Marinette rushed to answer, "I saw him last night, he was really upset so I invited him in for hot chocolate. We talked a bit and I hugged him when he cried."

Sabine beamed, "Tom found them asleep on the lounge together. It was adorable."

"Mum," Marinette growled.

"What? It was sweet."

"You slept with Cat Noir," Alya squealed.

"Yes, I mean no." A muscle under Marinette's eye began to twitch, "Just sleeping there was nothing else."

Alya laughed, "That's all I meant girl."

Marinette continued to bristle under Alya's teasing as they walked to school. "You need to stop now, people will talk," she said pointedly as she spotted Chloe preening and prattling at Adrien who wore a weary expression.

Alya smirked and whispered, "I wonder what Adrien would think if he knew you spent the night with Cat Noir."

Marinette elbowed her, "Enough already. Nothing happened, end of story."

"He might get jealous."

"I could only hope."

* * *

Adrien periodically nodded as Chloe droned on about herself. Inside he was broken and no one could know. He brightened as he spotted Marinette and gradually pushed Chloe away in attempt to talk to her. Then he froze, he couldn't exactly discuss last night, she didn't know he was Cat Noir. His mind searched for a reason to reach out to her. She looked up at him and he waved. Alya said something to her and she blushed as she waved back.

She blurted a greeting at him that made very little sense as she approached. His eyebrows drew together as he tried to decipher what she'd said. "Uh morning Marinette," he rubbed the back of his neck, "How are you today?"

She continued to smile at him spellbound until Alya poked her side, "I-I'm good."

He nodded and smiled back, not a lot to work with there. Alya seemed to realise and filled the gap, "So did you guys see the footage of the Jagged Stone concert last night? Wasn't it wicked how Ladybug and Cat Noir rocked on stage."

Adrien's stomach contracted and he forced the smile to remain on his face. "They were pretty awesome."

Marinette's eyes dimmed, "Yeah they seemed so happy."

Nino joined them, "That concert was totally awesome." The conversation was cut short as the bell rang and they headed to class.

* * *

At lunchtime things got awkward for Marinette. "Alya, you make it sound dirty."

Nino chuckled, "So Cat Noir spent the night."

Her flush grew darker and her jaw clenched, "Sleeping, that's all."

"Did he bring his own cat basket?" Nino smirked.

"No but I'm wishing he did," Marinette huffed as she picked at her lunch.

Adrien piped up, "Leave her alone guys, I think you've embarrassed her enough."

Alya sidled up to him, "So Adrien what's your thoughts on the situation."

He glanced over at Marinette then back at Alya, "She did a nice thing, give her some credit she deserves it over ribbing."

Nino watched Adrien stab his salad with his fork, "Dude, we didn't mean any harm."

"At least someone is looking out for me," Marinette tossed back.

Adrien's eyes met hers, "Anytime you need it, I've got your back Marinette." And with that she lost the ability to speak.

* * *

The school day dragged on for Adrien and with ten minutes to go the akuma alarm sounded. A sense of utter panic took hold of him, he wasn't ready to face Ladybug yet. He took a deep breath and saw Plagg peering at him from under the table. He gave a single nod as he cleared his head and gathered his stuff. He dashed to the male toilets and Plagg emerged from his bag, "You'll be alright. Focus on fighting the akuma and then we'll get some cheese."

"Let's get this over with. Plagg, claws out."

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone for their reviews, favourites and follows. I really appreciate it. The recipe is about to get more flavoursome... stay tuned :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three – Add a dollop of friendship, sprinkle with surprise_

For once the akuma wasn't Cat Noir's highest concern, it was his own concentration. His bleeding heart was causing him to be nervous and distracted. He found Ladybug spinning her yoyo in a tight circle while calling out their latest quarry. He landed beside her and extended his baton, he needed to act normal even if he was dying inside.

From his peripheral, he saw her glance at him. His mouth set in a firm line, "What's the plan, milady?"

"Are you okay?"

He ground his teeth together, "I said what's the plan."

There was a tremble in her voice, "I don't know."

He turned and his look was intense, "Then we work it out together."

* * *

Ladybug knew the first meeting would be the most awkward. She noticed the physical distance and the way Cat Noir's eyes didn't meet hers. After the fist-bump she tried to apologise but he gave her a mediocre smile and left. She returned home, transformed and settled on the balcony.

Alya had sent her a text to say she'd witnessed some of the akuma fight and noticed things were a little strained between the pair of superheroes but nothing strong enough to suggest problems between them. Alya had been grilling her through the day for information on what Cat Noir had told her during their late-night conversation but had backed off when she'd said it wasn't her secret to share.

While Marinette was relieved that Alya hadn't picked up Cat Noir's depth of distress it also concerned her that he was able to hide his pain so well. It made her wonder how many other emotions he was able to conceal. He had always seemed okay with her pushing him away but maybe it had hurt him more than she'd thought. She finally had a chance to discuss things with Tikki, who seemed to believe that time, patience and communication would ultimately solve everything. She was leaning on the railing when she heard him land behind her. She hadn't expected him to come back, but then cats had a habit of returning to those who fed them.

He lay his elbows on the railing beside her and asked, "What are you looking at?"

She turned to face him, longing to see his playful side. "Hmm it's big, black and uninvited," she teased.

"Yeah night time sneaks up on all of us," he smirked.

"That wasn't what I was referring to."

"I know, you're referring to all of this," he said gesturing to himself with a cheeky smile, "as for uninvited, you're wrong. Your old man said I'm welcome anytime."

"Traitor," she said with a laugh in her eyes. She took a few seconds before asking, "How are you feeling today?"

"Still like crap. I saw her today, it was uncomfortable." He looked away, "She wasn't herself either."

Marinette placed a hand on his arm, "I have no doubt she's mad at herself for hurting you."

He placed his free hand over hers, "I didn't come here to talk about Ladybug. I wanted to say thank you," he turned and slipped both her hands into his. "Marinette what you did means a lot to me. My family isn't very supportive and to have someone there for me was amazing. I can't express how truly grateful I am."

She was moved by what he said and wondered if his family life influenced his ability to disguise his real feelings. She couldn't imagine life without the support of her family and friends. Suddenly it seemed very important that she provide that same level of care to him, especially when she considered how she would react if Adrien rejected her in a similar fashion. She swallowed, "I hope you guys can work things out."

He let go of her hands, "Me too." He turned, sat in her chair and picked up the croissant she'd left on her plate. "Are you planning on eating this?"

"Yes I am."

His bottom lip jutted out then switched to a grin as he tore the croissant in two, "Problem solved," he said handing her a piece as he ate the other half.

She rolled her eyes as she plucked the remaining segment from him.

"Sharing is caring," he said as he licked his gloved fingertips.

This became the typical ritual over the next few months. Whenever she was on the balcony after sunset she had a visitor. Marinette was discovering a whole new side to her akuma fighting partner and she began to wonder if this constant contact was going to create problems. Tikki had been surprisingly non-committal on the whole matter. "Am I letting him get too close?" she asked her kwami.

"He needs someone to talk to. Perhaps you're the only one he feels comfortable with."

Her nose wrinkled, "But why me? Isn't it odd he talks to me?"

"Ladybug may have turned him down but Marinette was there to pick him up."

"I saw how upset he was, I couldn't leave him like that. He wouldn't talk to me as Ladybug and I can't blame him but I never intended for this situation." A familiar thud sounded above. "Speak of the devil."

Tikki quickly hid as Cat Noir knocked on the balcony door. Marinette sighed, he usually left her alone when she wasn't outside. Climbing up to her bed she reached for the ceiling and lifted the door. It was cool outside and the fresh scent of rain touched her nose. Cat Noir was covered in droplets and sparkled in the moonlight. "You look a little soggy, kitty."

"Can I come in?"

She eyed him warily, "Okay but don't wet my bed."

She saw the white of his teeth as he grinned, then he quickly slipped inside and closed the door. His hair was soaked and lay plastered to his head, water dripped off his nose and his teeth chattered. "T-thanks, got any h-hot chocolate?"

She placed her hands on her hips as she noticed the puddle at his feet. "You need to go into the ensuite now," she herded him away from her bed. He was surprised when she followed him in and closed the door.

There was a nervous edge to his voice, "Are you wanting to shower with me?"

"Hardly," she said as she threw a towel at him then turned to open the cabinet and pulled out her hairdryer. "I was planning on quick dry, Marinette style. I can do your hair in pigtails after if you like."

He gave her a droll stare, "My hair is too short thank you very much."

"It's touching your shoulders."

"Only the bottom bits because they're wet."

She grabbed a second towel, threw it over his head and vigorously rubbed his scalp. His protests were muffled until she removed the towel. His blonde hair stuck out in tufts and his cat ears lay flat. She bit back a laugh at his pout, "I think the pigtails are still a possibility."

"You're not funny."

"Says the king of puns. Now for the next phase," she lifted the hairdryer and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Have mercy on me woman," he said closing his eyes.

Mariette wore an amused grin as she flicked on the hairdryer. She started with his hair then ran the hairdryer up and down his body in a methodical fashion. After twenty minutes, she turned it off and studied her handy work, "Dry as an autumn leaf."

His eyelids drooped and he cocked his head towards her, "You can keep brushing my hair."

"Are you going to tell me why you were gallivanting around in the rain?"

He straightened and growled, "My father was being a jerk. I didn't want to be home. The usual story." His tone softened, "Now about that hair brushing."

She raised an eyebrow but lifted the brush to his hair and as she swept his fringe away from his eyes she realised how much taller he was than her. When she was Ladybug he often leant towards her to interact which reduced the difference in height. She placed a hand on his shoulder to guide him downward. She was so intent on his hair that she didn't notice how close his face was to hers until he started purring. She swallowed, "Your cat ears make this difficult."

His voice was throaty but his eyes playful, "Should I transform?"

She took a step back, "And reveal your super-secret identity? I think not. I don't need any more secrets to keep."

He looked at her with curiosity, "How many secrets are you keeping then?"

She eyed him nervously, "Only normal girl stuff."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Hmm, let's see. How about no."

"I could use some insight into the fairer sex."

"Treat them as equals and mind your own business. How's that?"

"My _purr_ ception remains unchanged. Tell me something I don't know."

She dropped her forehead into her hand, "Cat puns won't win a girl over."

The amusement disappeared from his features, "Ladybug being a prime example."

"How about that hot chocolate, I almost forgot."

Cat Noir followed her back into the bedroom and took a seat. While she disappeared to the kitchen, he took the opportunity to observe the room and froze as he spotted the array of posters. They hadn't been there when he'd gamed with Marinette as Adrien, but he suspected why. When she returned he waited until she put the hot mugs down before saying, "I take it you're a fan of Adrien Agreste."

Her cheeks grew rosy, "As you know I want to be a fashion designer. I use the images for inspiration."

"He's wearing the same thing in some of the shots, plus the one in the photo frame is only of his head."

"Okay so I have a slight crush on him."

"Slight?"

She groaned and sat down, "Alright I have a huge crush on him, but he doesn't know."

Cat Noir's eyes wandered over the montage of magazine clippings on the wall then settled on her. He picked up his mug and eyed her over the rim, "What would you say to Adrien if he were sitting here with you now?"

Marinette folded her arms on the back of the chair and nestled her chin on top. "Let's see given my past record, I would probably trip over my own tongue and speak in a way that only Yoda could interpret."

Cat's eyes twinkled with mirth, "Let's say you could actually speak normally. What would you say?"

Her gaze drifted to the ceiling as she considered her words. "Hi Adrien, I know you don't know me very well but I'd like to get to know you better. Ugh that sounds so lame."

"It's a start, keep going."

"Our relationship didn't start so well but that moment when you handed me your umbrella in the rain triggered something in me. I don't know how to explain it but I felt such a wave of affection for you that I started to stutter and unfortunately that has stuck with me." Her eyes swung to Cat Noir as she spoke and his posture straightened as she continued, "You see the problem is the more I get to know you the harder I find it to speak to you. It's not because I dislike you, it's quite the opposite. I'm blown away by your kindness to everybody. I've never heard you say a bad word about anyone. You are a loyal friend, even to the most annoying of people, you see something good in them no matter what. You're selfless if you think someone needs your help and while many people think you're beautiful on the outside, I think you're beautiful on the inside too." Her grip tightened on the chair, "I love you and want the chance to know you better and I hope that maybe you could learn to love me too."

Cat Noir was transfixed, she had just opened a whole new world to him and she had no clue. Marinette waited for him to say something but he remained silent for a while then his voice was husky, "I had no idea you felt this way."

Marinette sighed as she laid her cheek on her arm, "And that's the answer he'd probably give me."

He leant forward in his chair, "You need to tell him."

She let out a small snort, "You're forgetting my complete lack of verbal skills when in his proximity."

"So, write him a letter or something."

She shook her head, "I tried that once. I wrote him a valentine in response to a letter he threw away. Stupid me forgot to sign the damn thing. I put my heart and soul into that valentine and if he read it he had no idea who it was from."

Cat Noir's eyes grew wide, "What did this valentine look like?"

"It was a pink heart shaped card. Why do you ask?"

Astonishment surged through him, "Just curious." He cleared his throat, "How about you write something now and this time remember to sign it."

The corner of her mouth turned upward, "Are you the love doctor or something?"

He shrugged, "Just trying to help out."

"I think you're a romantic at heart, Cat Noir."

He gasped and laid the back of his hand to his forehead, "Oh madam you have no idea."

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone for reading so far. I really appreciate the follows, favourites and reviews. I got this one up earlier than I thought. Continuing to polish the next chapter. Cheers :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four – Bring mixture to the boil, stir in confusion_

Cat Noir had tried to help Marinette draft up a letter to Adrien but he found it hard to be serious when he knew it was for himself. They sat at her desk side by side and before he knew it they were leaning shoulder to shoulder as she scribbled on her notepad trying to come up with something decent. While she was engrossed in writing he found his nose drifting closer as he tried to subtly take in her scent. She turned and their foreheads collided, "Sorry," he gasped as they both rubbed their heads.

"This is hopeless I'm too tired to make any sense," she said as she laid down her pencil.

He swivelled the notepad to read her scrawl. His heart was beating faster as he got further insight to her feelings. He glanced up at her then back to the notebook. Ladybug had been the focal point of his affection for so long that he'd stopped looking at other girls. Things were different now, he knew Ladybug wasn't interest in him but Marinette was. She had no idea that object of her love was sitting beside her and he had no doubt she'd turn into the flustered girl who had trouble constructing basic sentences if he transformed. He sat back as he finished reading and tapped his claws against his chin.

She grimaced, "That bad, hey?"

"No, the bones are there. It just needs a bit more work."

She propped her arms on the desk and eyed him, "You're a terrible liar."

"It's called constructive criticism."

"Just fancy words for lying."

"Fine it's crap."

She swatted him, "Hey it's not that bad."

He raised his hands, "But you just said it is."

"I did not. Stop twisting my words."

He shrugged, "You called me a liar. I took offence."

"Everything slides off your back kitty."

"My baton and belt are firmly attached, go on tug my tail," he taunted.

She shook her head, "You'd enjoy it too much."

"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. Depends on how you handle me."

"I think I'll leave you to handle yourself."

"Me- _ouch_ so feisty."

"Don't get me started."

"But I like feisty. I like feisty a lot."

She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and tried not to smile, "I think I hear Ladybug calling."

"Pft, I'm not a five-year-old. I'm not falling for that."

She nudged his shoulder with hers, "Damn and I thought that would work."

He smiled at her, "Nah uh, now you need to apologise." He presented his cheek to her and pointed, "I need a kiss right here."

Her eyebrows lifted, "Do you now."

He crossed his arms, "Yes I do."

She chuckled as he lifted his nose in the air. She considered him for a moment, as Ladybug she usually ignored his request for kisses but now she smirked as an idea came to mind. She moved in placing a big wet kiss on his cheek and grinned as he squirmed.

"Ew slobber," he complained as he wiped his face.

She fanned her eyelashes at him, "You asked for it."

He crossed his arms, "I wanted a peck, that was not a peck."

"You didn't specify, besides all should be forgiven now."

He gave her an unimpressed look, "Hmm I'm not sure. Maybe I should show you what I was after."

She drew back, "I do not need any kisses from you Cat Noir."

He moved to cradled his chin in his hand and studied her, "You don't know what you're missing out on."

"I guess I'll learn to live with the disappointment."

He gazed at her tenderly and used a clawed finger to push a tendril of her hair aside, "No need for that."

"You should to go home Cat Noir. It's late and I want to go to bed."

"I could curl up with you. Cats are good for snuggles."

"I don't think my parents would be too impressed if they found you in my bed."

He nodded, "True. I guess I'll just have to go." He stood up and as she rose he snuck a kiss to her cheek. "That's how it's done," he grinned.

She placed her hand to her face and there was a faint blush, "You don't give up do you."

He shook his head, "Not when a pretty lady is involved."

"Go home Cat."

"Fine, I'm going. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Adrien lay in his bed staring at the ceiling with a dopey grin on his face. "I can't believe I missed it."

Plagg groaned, "I can, you were too busy making goo-goo eyes at Ladybug to notice."

He let out a satisfied sigh, "I always thought Marinette was cute and quirky but now that I think about it all the signs were there. Man, I'm so blind."

"I'm guessing you're over Ladybug."

He frowned, "Why do you say that?"

"Because you encouraged Marinette to pursue you out of the mask."

He tucked his hands behind his head, "Part of me still loves Ladybug even though I know she's not interested in me. I really like Marinette, I feel closer to her than anyone else. Did I do the wrong thing tonight by encouraging her?"

"Only if you're not interested."

"Oh, I'm interested alright but I'm confused. I've been so set on Ladybug that I couldn't see what was in front of me. The idea of pursuing Marinette excites me more than I thought possible. It just feels weird moving on, I always assumed Ladybug would come to love me too. The last few months with Marinette have been amazing but I don't know what to say."

"Take your own advice, tell her how you feel."

"That's going to be difficult. She's not interested in Cat Noir and how do I explain my sudden interest in her as Adrien? I can't exactly tell her that I'm the guy who visits her regularly as Cat Noir. She'd freak out. I don't even know where to start."

"Cheese is a safe and delicious topic."

"This isn't about you, Plagg."

The kwami shrugged, "Start with hello."

* * *

Marinette sat staring at the back of Adrien's head. This was not an uncommon occurrence in class but her thoughts were taking a different track to usual. Normally she daydreamed about a potential future with Adrien where he'd finally asked her out. But now she wondered if she needed to be the one to instigate things. Cat Noir had said she should confess her feelings to Adrien but she'd had no luck with the letter. That left direct contact, unfortunately there were a number of problems with this. Firstly, she'd tried before and failed due to scatterbrain attack. Secondly, she didn't know how to raise the subject and thirdly she had very little evidence to show he was attracted to her.

It had been easy to express her feelings when it had been in the safety of her own bedroom with Cat Noir. When she'd looked into his eyes her mind cleared and she'd been able to say what was in her heart. With him there was an easy friendship and a comfortable space, she felt free to be herself. It was different with Adrien. There was an all-consuming excitement, a quickening of pulse and sweating of hands. Gaining his attention sent her into a state of euphoria, the problem was her brain seemed to stop firing on all cylinders. She inwardly groaned, it seemed hopeless.

* * *

Lunch couldn't come fast enough for Adrien. He could feel Marinette's eyes on him. When the bell rang he took his time packing up. He glanced over his shoulder as he picked up his bag. Marinette somehow fumbled her pencil case and its contents spilled out. By reflex he caught three of her pencils and this gave him the opportunity to talk to her. "Here you go, Marinette."

She stood with unblinking eyes and a mouth swinging like a curtain in the breeze. "I-I pencil…"

An amused smile touched his lips. He placed the pencils into her open hand and purposefully trailed his fingers over her skin as he pulled away. She sucked in a breath and he locked eyes with her, "Have you designed anything new recently?"

Again, Marinette faltered so Ayla gave her a sharp elbow and words managed to escape her friend's mouth, "Yes I have."

"Do you have the designs with you? I'd love to take a look."

Her head pivoted from him to her bag and she managed to pull out her sketch book as she collected the rest of her items. Adrien made sure his fingers brushed hers again. Her cheeks darkened and he hid a smile. He opened the book and studied the sketches. His nose twitched as he found her bowler hat design she'd made for his father's competition. He continued flicking through the pages fully aware of her gaze on him.

He was taken with a jacket she'd designed, it looked similar to a denim jacket but it was black and the stitching was a fluorescent green with a matching chest pocket. "I like this," he said showing her the page. "It's very Cat Noir."

She flushed, "Y-yeah he kind of inspired me on that one."

"Are you planning on making it?"

She rubbed her chin, "I was considering it."

"Could you make one for me?"

She blinked at him with wide eyes.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I'm happy to pay for it."

Her hand latched onto his forearm, "No, no you don't have to do that."

Her touch was electric but he didn't miss a beat, "I don't mind, fabric and materials aren't free."

"O-okay since you insist."

He glanced at her hand still on his arm, "Should I come over to your place so you can measure me up?"

Her fingers squeezed his arm as her face turned an even darker shade of pink, "Yes! I mean that would work."

"Okay, does this afternoon suit?"

* * *

Marinette couldn't believe her luck, Adrien was coming to her house again. Her parents had been quite enthusiastic when she told them. With Tikki's help she'd madly removed all her posters of him prior to his arrival and was rummaging through her drawers when he climbed up the stairs.

"Hi," he called as he entered the room. His eyes wandered over the walls and she could have sworn a smirk ghosted his lips.

"Hi," she said eyeing him shyly.

He ran a hand through his hair, "So what's the plan?"

"Oh, I need you to take a look at fabric swatches so you can choose what you like," she said and she chewed her lip, "Then we can do the measurements."

"Sounds good, show me what you've got."

It didn't take long for him to make his choices of fabric and thread. Marinette's hands began to shake as she picked up the measuring tape.

"Where do you want me?" he asked in a tone that hinted at innuendo.

She wanted to say on the bed but managed to refrain. "Take a step back and lift your arms."

He did as she asked and she began. The measurements for the sleeves were easy enough, but when she looped the tape around his hips the rhythm of her breathing increased. She held the tape between her thumb and forefinger as she attempted to reach her pencil with her free hand. His voice caught her by surprise.

"Do you want me to take off my over-shirt? Might make measuring easier."

The tape escaped her fingers as she looked up at him, "Um y-yeah."

His eyes never left hers as he shrugged out of his white shirt. He only looked away as he tossed it on her desk. The room seemed awfully hot to Marinette and she licked her dry lips.

"Better?" he asked with a smouldering look.

She gave a single nod as she fished the tape from the floor. It took all her concentration to focus on writing down his measurements. When it came to his neck her pulse sped up.

"That's a little tight, remember to put your finger inside the tape. I don't want to choke." His smile was infectious.

"I forget I'm dealing with an expert."

He tossed his head dramatically, "I'm manhandled on a regular basis." His eyes shifted to hers as he grinned, "I appreciate gentle hands."

Marinette managed to get the final numbers written down and had to step away, "So it's going to take a few of weeks for me to get this done. I've got a couple of other things on my plate at the moment."

"No worries, there's no rush. Just let me know when you need me for fittings and I'll come over." He placed a hand on her upper arm, "You've got my number, right?"

She nodded more enthusiastically then she meant to, "Yes, yes I do."

* * *

It shouldn't have come as a surprise that Cat Noir decided to visit that night, "So how'd it go with lover boy?"

Marinette gave him a smug grin, "He came over and guess what?"

"What?" Cat Noir said leaning close.

"He was in my room."

"No way," a slow grin spread across his face, "did you make out?"

She punched him playfully on the shoulder, "Like I'd tell you."

"So that's a no. Where'd you go wrong?"

"It was a friendly visit, I'm making a jacket for him. He came over so I could measure him up."

Cat Noir's masked eyebrows lifted, "Really? Did he meet expectation?"

There was a dreamy look on her face, "Of course."

He returned a smug grin, "So, you got to put your hands on him after all."

"It wasn't like that."

"It was like that. You missed a _purr_ fect opportunity. He's a guy, we like being touched."

"Duly noted, Dr Love."

He pointed a finger at her, "Don't mock me, my words are full of truth. You want a guy's attention, touch him. If he doesn't like you he'll move away, if he does he'll stay right where he is."

Chloe's interactions with Adrien came to Marinette's mind and a satisfied smile played on her lips as she realised he always pulled away from the spoilt brat.

Cat Noir laid an elbow on her shoulder, "What's got you looking so happy?"

"He's not into Chloe."

"And that's a revelation to you?"

"Well yes," she said as her brow furrowed.

"And I thought I was blind."

She dropped her shoulder and he almost fell over, "I find your lack of empathy disturbing."

He shrugged, "I'll aspire to be just like your Adrien."

"I don't think you have a hope in hell."

He studied her with a crooked grin, "You'd be surprised."

* * *

The akuma fights were getting back to normal. Ladybug was relieved that their banter was still alive and well. Cat Noir's flirting had dropped off considerably but his showing off hadn't. "You seem happier," she commented as they finished patrol.

A contented smile lit his face, "That's because I am."

"I'm glad to hear that."

He observed her thoughtfully, "You said your heart belongs to someone else, is there any chance that will change?"

She looked at him with surprise, "I can't imagine feeling this way for anyone else."

He looked at his baton and his grip tightened, "I suspected as much."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry I know you'd like a different answer but I'd rather be honest with you. I want you to be happy and if you find someone special I don't want you to hold back because of me."

Cat Noir studied her for a long moment and something in his eyes changed as he looked at her, "Okay milady."

* * *

 **I hope you're finding the recipe tasty so far. Thanks for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing. I was very happy to get over 50 followers/30 favourites, it made my day.**

 **I plan to have the next step/chapter up in a week. Cheers :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five – Break up anguish with a spoon, add to pan with flirtation_

Cat Noir's shattered heart cracked once more but this time it didn't break. Ladybug's rejection hurt but not as much as it had the first time. She wanted him to be happy and he could see the truth of it in her lovely blue eyes. She cared for him but not in the sense he'd desperately hoped for. A part of his heart would always belong to her but Marinette was quickly creeping into the empty void left behind. The thought of his classmate soothed his mind and damaged heart. Somebody loved him the way he loved Ladybug and he wanted to reciprocate.

He was quiet as he contemplated new possibilities. While his eyes lay on Ladybug he wasn't really seeing her anymore. It was only when she moved that he realised she was waiting for his response. "Okay milady," he answered, his feelings for her would no longer hold him back. Her eyes widened as if she'd expected him to put up a fight and he would have if she'd shown any interest in him but Ladybug always pushed him away.

There was a catch to her voice, "Are you going to be alright?"

He flashed his usual brash smile but his heart wasn't completely in it, "This cat always lands on his feet."

She nodded slowly as she assessed his features. She pulled her yoyo from her hip, "I'll catch you later then."

He lifted his baton to salute, "Until next time."

He watched her go and the wind ruffled his hair. Her elegant form grew smaller as she disappeared amongst the chimneys. He turned away from her retreating figure and looked up to the stars. Things didn't always go as expected but they usually worked out for the best.

* * *

Ladybug's words continued to echoed in Adrien's mind as he walked into school, they'd been rattling around his head all night and he was eager to find Marinette. As he turned the corner he was so focussed on his thoughts that he didn't immediately see the person coming the other way, her head down busy texting. He ran straight into her and supressed a grin as he registered who it was. Marinette's schoolbag strap slipped pulling her jacket sleeve down her shoulder with it.

He dove to catch her bag and his fingers snagged the strap, "Sorry," he said as he automatically reached to adjust her jacket into place. He gripped the inside of her lapel, lifting her jacket back over her shoulder and as he settled it into place his knuckles brushed the bare skin of her collarbone. He froze at the contact, a slight blush touched his cheeks as he looked into her eyes and he was able to calculate the moment Marinette lost the ability to communicate properly.

"Ugh," she murmured. Her fingers scrambled for her bag and locked around his hand. She turned crimson but didn't let go. Both his hands were in contact with her now. He gently removed his hold on her jacket then glanced at her hand covering his.

"Guess I should look where I'm going," he said with a nervous smile. She continued to blink at him wide eyed. He attempted to put her at ease, "Yesterday was fun." His thumb lifted to softly caress her hand enveloping his.

She suddenly jumped back pulling the bag from his grasp. She grinned at him wildly and a muscle under her eye twitched, "Y-yeah was."

He felt a stab of disappointment as she broke contact. There was a look of panic in her eyes. Considering her current behaviour, it was no wonder he'd been clueless to her crush, she acted like she wanted to run as far away from him as possible. He decided to give her some space to regroup. "See you later," he said with a wave as he walked around her.

* * *

Marinette slapped her own forehead as Adrien departed. She'd missed the perfect opportunity to talk to him again. She'd been so busy texting Alya with the previous day's events that she hadn't noticed Adrien until they'd crashed into one another. She hadn't been ready for direct contact with him, especially when he'd fixed up her jacket, that skin to skin contact had completely fried her brain and had it been her imagination or had he stroked her hand? She closed her eyes praying that it had been real. Cat Noir's teasing about making out with Adrien entered her head and she inwardly groaned. As usual Adrien's sweet nature had destroyed her ability to coherently speak to him, she'd probably pass out if he attempted to kissed her.

As she walked into class he was in his seat pulling his tablet from his bag. He looked up and smiled. She managed a wave before ducking her head to conceal her blush. Her fingers tightened on her bag, she needed to get a grip on her emotions. She'd been able to talk to him yesterday, she could do it today. As she sat in her seat she drummed her fingers on the desk, determined to get herself together. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. She could do it. "Adrien," she called.

He turned and time slowed down as he tossed his head to flick his hair out of his eyes. She watched as his locks fell perfectly into place, then her eyes met his and she felt her insides melt. Good grief the guy knew how to flaunt it. Her mouth opened and closed twice before she managed to put together a sentence, "Your hair looks amazing." She paled, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

He smiled as he hooked his elbow over the back of his chair, "Thanks Marinette, yours does too."

She glanced over to see Alya sit down and raise an eyebrow. She spun back to Adrien who continued to smile at her. She was considering what she could say when their teacher walked in. He turned away before she could say anything else.

* * *

Marinette slumped back into her seat. Lunch had been just as bad. Her determination was continually undermined by her nerves. Adrien had been remarkably approachable, he'd lingered in class after the bell and she'd decided to talk to him. Unfortunately, the connection between her mouth and brain seemed to be down for maintenance. She'd watched Adrien's face gradually scrunch into a picture of confusion the more she attempted to speak.

She sat glumly through the rest of class. Her cheek rested on her fist as she attempted to concentrate on the lesson. Her eyes drifted to the boy in front of her, taking in his perfect hair, broad back and wide shoulders. She swallowed as he glanced over one of those shoulders at her. She quickly averted her eyes and missed the twitch of his mischievous smile.

After the final bell rang she was surprised when his hands landed on her table. Her eyes lifted to his. "Hey Marinette," he smiled and a lump formed in her throat, "You were trying to say something to me earlier. I've got fifteen minutes to kill before fencing class so until then I'm all yours."

Marinette wheezed she had his undivided attention and her mind had gone completely blank. Alya stepped up, "Wasn't there something about the measurements not adding up?"

"Oh yeah," she said drawing her eyes between Alya and Adrien, silently thanking her best friend for the opening. "I-I think I may have muddled them up."

He pulled out his phone to check the time, "I could pop over very briefly if we go now."

Marinette opened her bag, looped an arm around her stuff on the desk and with a shove dumped it into her bag. She cringed for a moment until she remembered Tikki was in her handbag. "I'm ready."

* * *

Adrien's long legs easily kept up with Marinette's rushed strides, they said a quick hello to her parents before climbing up to her room. He noticed the posters were still missing from her walls and he smiled to himself. She lowered her bags to the floor and he dropped his beside hers. She rushed over to her drawers, plucked out the measuring tape and waved it in the air, "Ready."

He gave a crooked grin as he shucked off his white shirt and tossed it at her, "So am I." He chuckled as her face turned scarlet and her jaw twitched. "The look on your face is priceless Marinette."

Determination flashed in her eyes and she squared her jaw, "Is that so? Get into position Agreste so I can do you."

His blood thumped in his ears and his face went as red as hers, "Uh what?"

"You heard me," she lifted her arms into the position he'd held the day before and he obediently mimicked. His heart thundered as she quickly ran the tape over him. For once she'd been as bold with him as she was with Cat Noir. He racked his brain for a comeback as she busily scribbled down numbers. "There got them all."

He was surprised by her speed, "Are you satisfied?" The corner of her lip turned up and she opened her mouth to speak as his five-minute alarm sounded. "Sorry I've got to run," he picked up his bag and slung it on. "See you tomorrow," he said as he rushed down the stairs. Marinette followed him and waved goodbye as he dashed away.

* * *

Marinette could hardly believe what she'd said to Adrien. She'd actually flirted with him and left him speechless. Her mind immediately turned to worry. Had she said the wrong thing? Was he completely shocked by her behaviour? Tikki floated into view as she re-entered her bedroom. "Tikki was I too forward? Do you think I scared him off?"

Her kwami's face was the picture of patience, "He said he'd see you tomorrow. My guess is he wasn't too fazed."

Marinette let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. She moved to sit down then froze as she spotted Adrien's white shirt sitting on her desk. She lifted her finger and pointed at it, "He, he left his shirt behind." She began to jog on the spot as she gnawed her fingernails. "Oh my god," she reached towards it slowly as if afraid it would vanish upon contact. She picked it up and held it to her chest as she looked to the heavens, "Do you think he did it on purpose?"

Tikki sank down to sit on the edge of her computer monitor, "Who knows. I guess you'll find out tomorrow."

* * *

 **Time to add some more spice to the recipe. I hope you're enjoying it. Until next time... :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six – Preheat attraction to high_

Marinette's excitement couldn't be contained, luckily Alya had shown up at her door ten minutes after Adrien left. "He took off his shirt and threw it at you, oh my god did you squeal?" Alya grinned as she took Marinette's hands and jumped on the spot with her.

"No, I was so stunned then he teased me and do you know what I said to him?" Alya was hanging off her every word. "I told him to get into position so I could do him."

"No, you didn't," Alya gasped in astonishment.

Marinette grinned, "I couldn't believe I said it either. He was completely stunned. Then I took out the measuring tape and did my thing."

Alya laughed, "That was brilliant. I still can't believe he threw his shirt at you." She grabbed Marinette's shoulders, "You're making progress girl."

"I know," she beamed. "But do I take his shirt back to school tomorrow or leave it at home?"

Alya waved a finger, "You leave it at home. Then he has to come over to get it. Seems like you have an easier time talking to him when you're alone." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Marinette crossed her arms, "Well he is on my turf." Her eyes drifted to his white shirt which she'd neatly folded and left on her desk. "I know it's completely wrong but I want to wrap myself up in it."

"That doesn't surprise me one bit."

"It's odd though it has a musty smell, like cheese."

Alya snorted, "You've been sniffing his shirt."

She grimaced, "Only once, okay maybe twice."

"You've got it bad girl."

Marinette nodded, "Yep I do."

* * *

Marinette yawned as she crawled into bed. She'd started making Adrien's jacket and had lost all track of time. She'd been glad it had been Cat Noir's turn to patrol on his own, she would have completely missed it had it been her turn. As she lay her head on her pillow she looked up at the skylight and jumped. The stars were blocked by a shadow with cat shaped ears. She growled quietly at herself and sat up to unlock the hatch. "It's late Cat Noir."

"I know but your light was on a minute ago," he lowered himself head first then did a summersault onto her bed, sprawling out and settling himself beside her. "How was your day?"

He casually draped his languid form over her covers, the leather of his suit creaked slightly as he moved and there was something overtly sexual in his gaze as she eyed him. "You know my father may have been okay with us crashing on the lounge together but he'll be very angry if he finds you in my bed."

His face paled and the hungry look in his eyes vanished. He shifted closer and his knee pressed against hers. His voice dropped to a whisper, "The rest of the lights are out. I'll be very, very quiet."

Cat Noir tended to be oblivious to the concept of personal space. Ladybug was forever pushing him back but as he lay beside her, with a sincere look in his eyes that begged for her permission to stay, Marinette didn't want to move away. Instead she whispered back the appropriate response, "You should go."

"Not yet," he sank down and rested his head on her pillow. His eyes gave a pleading look as he patted a spot on the pillow beside him, "I need to know how today went."

Marinette studied him then cautiously settled beside him. Her eyes drifted to his mask, with him so close she could see that it did cover a lot of his face, strangely it didn't inhibit his facial expressions if anything it enhanced them. His green cat-like eyes shimmered slightly as he watched her. "Today was alright."

"Only alright? Nothing interesting happened?" he said as he inspected his claws.

She exhaled heavily, "Let's see in the morning I walked straight into Adrien and lost all ability to speak. Then I tried to talk to him before class, he did this hair flick that blew my mind and lost all ability to speak. I tried again at lunch and oh lost all ability to speak."

"Hmm I'm starting to see a pattern here, although this hair flick has me intrigued. Care to demonstrate?"

She gave him a droll stare, "Trying to pick up tips Cat Noir?"

He gave an impish shrug, "I didn't think it would hurt."

She pressed the heel of her hand to the bridge of her nose, "Always the flirt."

His fingers circled her hand and tugged it away from her face, "I'm just trying to make you smile. What else happened?"

She looked at their loosely joined hands before slipping away, "When school finished he talked to me."

Cat Noir propped himself up on his elbow, "What did he say?"

"He was trying to give me a chance to spit out what I hadn't been able to say."

"Did it work?"

"Sort of, Alya saved the day. She said I needed to get his measurements again."

"Don't tell me the amazing Marinette designer extraordinaire wrote down the wrong measurements."

She gave him a smug smile, "No I didn't. Got them right the first time. Alya was just helping her best bud out."

His jaw dropped and morphed into a grin, "No way."

"Yes way. He came over again but only for a few minutes. He had to run off to fencing classes. But do you know what?"

His head shifted closer to hers, "What?"

"He left his shirt behind."

"You mean you got him topless? I'm impressed Marinette."

She gave him a dry stare, "He was still dressed. He usually wears a t-shirt and a button up shirt over the top. It was the outer shirt he left behind."

Cat Noir began to fan himself with his hand, "And here I was thinking things got steamy."

"You really are a tom cat."

He grinned and rolled onto his belly supporting his chin in his hands, "Meh you love me. Besides you brushed my hair so you're stuck with me now."

She lifted her hand to stroke his cat ear, "I thought dogs were the loyal ones."

"Treat a cat right and he'll adore you forever." He lowered his cheek to his shoulder presenting the side of his cat ear. Her fingers moved to scratch lower, his eyelids drooped and he began to purr, "Keep that up and I'll never leave."

She gave him a cheeky grin, "Even if I get a squirt bottle?"

His eyelids lifted then narrowed, "You wouldn't dare."

"Yes I-" his gloved hand covered her mouth.

His cat ears twitched. "Someone is coming," he whispered.

A look of panic crossed her face. She launched into action pushing him onto his back and placing her body over the top of his. As she pulled the quilt over both of them he grinned then gasped as she placed her pillow over his face. The trap door to her bedroom opened and her mother's head popped up, "Marinette is everything okay? We thought we heard voices."

"I was watching a video on my phone a second ago."

"Okay sweetie but you need to get to sleep." Sabine studied her for a moment. "Are you okay, you're lying rather awkwardly."

"I was rearranging my cat pillow. It's a little lumpy."

Sabine gave a sleepy nod, "Oh okay. Love you, sweet dreams."

"Love you too Mum. Sweet dreams."

The trap door closed and Marinette waited until Sabine's footsteps descended to the bottom of the stairs before she removed the pillow from Cat Noir's head. He sucked in a heavy breath but somehow managed to smirk as he whispered, "Seems it's okay to sleep with your cat pillow." He opened his arms and lay his hands on her back, "I'm not so lumpy, it's just my bulging muscles."

She went to roll off him but he travelled with her so they lay side by side. "You need to leave."

He rubbed his cheek against hers as if he were a real cat, marking her with his scent as he took in hers, "I could purr you to sleep."

She considered flicking his bell but thought better of it. She didn't need to make any more noise. Instead she caught his face between her hands to stop him, "Go."

He pried her hands from his face and shook his head. Instead his fingers caught the edge of her jaw leading her ear to his chest. "I'll go but not until you fall asleep," his purring intensified as she nestled against him. He relaxed and rested his chin on the top of her head.

She wasn't sure about this but she didn't want to push him away. His presence was soothing and she felt herself drifting off, "Promise you won't go to sleep?"

" _Purr_ omise."

* * *

Cat Noir couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so content. His eyes were partly closed as he continued to purr and hold Marinette close. Her breathing was starting to grow heavy and he had to consciously remind himself to stay awake. He considered their brief conversation. Marinette hadn't been able to tell him much before they'd been interrupted. As Adrien, he'd been completely stunned at her word play that afternoon. He'd hoped to talk to her about it but he'd gotten off topic and found himself caught up in their usual banter. He knew she could be feisty when he was Cat Noir but he'd been taken aback when she'd responded to him that way as Adrien.

He'd purposefully left his shirt behind because he wanted her to have another excuse to talk to him. He just hoped she'd finally be able to say what was actually on her mind. He shifted his arm lying under her head as it was starting to go numb but he didn't care. He liked being this close to her. He wanted to lavish her with affection and he desperately wanted hers in return. The temptation to stay with her was strong but he'd promised he wouldn't and Cat Noir always kept his promises. He nuzzled his face into her hair and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. She snored in response and he had to stop himself from chuckling.

* * *

He wasn't at school. Marinette sagged over her tablet as she heard Chloe sulking about Adrien having a half day photoshoot. She didn't want to act like the spoilt brat but it was hard to hide her own disappointment. It seemed to be the flavour of the day although she was trying to deny that particular feeling from when she'd woken up alone. Her friendship with Cat Noir was growing more intimate and she relished the closeness they shared. He had been true to his promise as she knew he would however there was a part of her that had secretly hoped he'd stay.

Despite her initial response after waking up excitement had flowed through her veins as she'd eyed Adrien's shirt. Her fingers had trailed down the smooth material and she found herself wishing she had the nerve to do the same thing when he was actually wearing it. At least she had the perfect excuse to invite him over again, she just had to focus and say the words. Her decision to practice in front of the mirror resulted in her running late. But as she'd rushed into class she discovered Adrien's empty seat. That's when she'd overheard Chloe's wailing and from there the morning progressed with the speed of a snail.

Adrien returned to school after lunch. He ducked his head as he slid into his seat but his eyes flicked to her and she caught his brief smile. Her breath caught as she took in his appearance. Black jeans encased his legs and clung in all the right places, his matching black jacket accentuated his broad shoulders and the slope of his back. Underneath the jacket he wore a dark green shirt that brought out the colour in his eyes. She wasn't the only one to notice how good he looked. As soon as class finished Chloe latched herself onto Adrien's arm, "Hey Adrikins you looking sizzling today."

He dipped his head to conceal his embarrassed smile, his hair dropped to cover his eyes and Chloe didn't hesitate in brushing it back. His head lifted in surprise as she combed her fingers through his fringe. "Um thanks Chloe," he said as he shied away from her touch. Marinette watched with grating teeth.

Chloe didn't take the hint and curled herself against his arm, "So I've got us tickets to the XY concert on the weekend. You can pick me up around five."

"Uh Chloe I don't even like XY."

She forced a laugh, "Oh of course you do. He's just as awesome as Jagged Stone."

"Actually, I have plans with Marinette," he said throwing a desperate glance her way.

Chloe glared at Marinette, "I'm sure she can cancel."

Marinette crossed her arms, "No can do."

"You know I don't break promises," Adrien said as he studied Chloe.

The blonde girl folded her arms as her bottom lip curled in disapproval. A menacing glint touched her eyes as Sabrina strolled towards them undoing the lid of her chocolate milk. Adrien tracked the movement of Chloe's devious eyes and reacted as his childhood friend went into action. Sabrina pulled the lid from the bottle and as she stepped she missed seeing the toe of Chloe's shoe clipping her own foot and launching her towards Marinette. After two years of being Ladybug's partner Adrien knew how to slide himself between his lady and danger. It just so happened the lady involved was Marinette rather than Ladybug. The milk splashed all over his chest as Chloe gasped in horror. "Sabrina, you idiot!" she screeched.

Adrien shook his dripping hands, "You tripped her Chloe."

Chloe's mouth opened and closed a few times, "I did not."

Adrien looked over his shoulder at Marinette who was clinging to the back of his jacket, "Are you okay?"

Her big blue eyes looked at him like he was a hero and he felt a swell of pride. "I'm fine thanks to you."

He gathered the front of his dripping shirt and attempted to wring the chocolate milk out of it. He smiled inwardly, "Man it looks like I'll need a clean shirt."

"I'll buy you a new one," Chloe said with a pout.

Marinette stood tall, "No need, Adrien left one of his shirts at my place."

"What? You're making that up," Chloe snapped.

"No, she's not. I left it there yesterday. Thanks for reminding me," he said to Marinette with a warm smile.

Chloe huffed, "Why would you even do that?"

A touch of smugness illuminated his eyes, "Because she wanted me to take it off."

Chloe's nose crinkled as she bit into her bottom lip and her shoulders lifted as her hands balled into fists. "You took off your shirt in front of her."

"Yes, I did."

She stomped her foot, "Sabrina hurry up we're leaving."

Adrien turned to face Marinette as Chloe stormed off. "I couldn't resist stirring her up."

She nodded as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt, "Thanks for what you did."

He looked down at his soggy shirt and gave her a grin that was awfully reminiscent of Cat Noir, "Who doesn't like a wet t-shirt."

She punched him lightly on the shoulder then baulked, she was treating him as she would Cat Noir. She pulled back her hand and dropped it to her side. "You should get changed."

"So, can I come over and collect my shirt?"

The corner of her lip turned up, "Yes you can."

* * *

 **And I'm spent... for the moment. Thanks again for the support, I will be working on the next chapter over the weekend. Cheers :)**


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven – Dust board with longing and knead desire_

Marinette had led Adrien up her bedroom via the private entrance. Her mother gave her a knowing smile and she had no doubt that she'd be in for some gentle ribbing when Adrien went home. She made sure she blocked the view of Adrien's wet shirt, she didn't really want to explain why she had a spare shirt of his in her room to her parents.

Her heart raced as he dropped his bag beside hers, she could hardly believe that he was there for the third day in a row. She wasted no time in retrieving his shirt and as she turned around he was slipping out of his jacket. He gave her a lopsided smile as he folded it over his arm, "Any chance you could get me a plastic bag to put these in?"

"Sure," she said as she ducked down the stairs to the kitchen. As she returned through the trap door her breath hitched. The creamy expanse of Adrien's back was in full view as he pulled his shirt over his head. The play of his muscles had her captivated, her fingers itched to touch and she jumped as he caught her looking. "I've got the bag," she said louder than she meant.

He didn't move towards her, he simply turned around and outstretched his hand. She needed to keep her eyes on his but the temptation to look down was too much. She made the pretence of looking at his hand but her eyes made a leisurely trip to get there. It took a lot of will power to place the bag in his hand. Her heart lurched as his fingers closed around hers. She glanced up to catch a cheeky grin on his face, "Thanks Marinette."

He gently pulled the bag away from her hand and dumped his wet shirt and jacket inside. He frowned as he lifted his hands, "Is there somewhere I can wash up?"

"S-sure," Marinette said pointing at the sink.

Adrien walked over, still shirtless, and scrubbed his hands under the water. "That chocolate milk was surprisingly sticky." Her mouth fell open as he picked up a washer and ran it over his chest. She made herself look away as that would be the polite thing to do. He made his way back and picked up his white shirt, threading his arms through the sleeves and tossing it up onto his shoulders. She watched him through her eyelashes and felt the heat of a blush flooding to her cheeks. His fingers caught her chin and lifted her head, "I don't mind you looking. I'm a model, I'm used to being on display."

"I-I feel rude though. You're not at a photoshoot."

He looked at her with a tenderness that made her toes curl, "No I'm not, I'm with a beautiful girl."

She was pretty sure her heart exploded. His thumb caressed her chin and his eyes dipped to her lips. She didn't dare move, afraid that if she did she'd break whatever spell had been woven between them. His face began to lower towards hers. She held her breath sure that her lungs were about to meet the same fate as her heart. Then somebody screamed and the moment was gone.

Adrien's head shot up and he ran to the window. Outside people were scrambling away from a flying akuma zapping anything that moved with a toothbrush. "What on earth?" Adrien gasped.

Marinette placed her hands on the windowsill and her mind switched into strategic mode. "Looks like a dentist or a dental assistant," she eyed Adrien considering how she could sneak away from him to transform while also feeling utterly dejected by the turn of events.

There was a nervous energy about him as he stepped away from the window, "I um need to go. I-I should let my father know I'm okay."

He was frantically buttoning his shirt as he backed towards the trap door. As disappointed as she was he was giving her the opening she needed. "Uh alright. Stay close to the buildings. Be safe."

She swore a touch of arrogance entered his eyes, "I will." With that he grabbed his bag and darted down the stairs. Marinette followed him out and as soon as he departed she raced back up and transformed as she launched out of the skylight.

* * *

He had been so close. A scowl remained on Cat Noir's face as he fought. If Ladybug noticed his bad mood she didn't comment. They were too busy dancing around the angry akuma called the Scaler. From what they could garner he was a discredited dentist furious about being accused of misconduct.

Ladybug had called on her lucky charm as he'd used cataclysm to destroy the Scaler's obscenely large dental drill. The piercing noise was still resonating in his cat ears. He cringed as he noticed the lucky charm was a pack of dental floss, "Seriously are you going to dazzle him with oral hygiene?"

She shrugged as she scanned the area working out what she needed to do. Like always he assisted in what seemed like an insane idea and as usual it worked. The Scaler had his toothbrush removed, broken and the akuma was purified. Cat Noir almost punched Ladybug in his need to leave. "Pound it," he said as he slowed his fist so it actually connected with hers rather than knock her over. Her eyes were wide as he jogged away, "I need to go I'm about to transform back."

* * *

Cat Noir made his way home and dropped into his bedroom with a heavy thud. He called off his transformation and dug into his bag for his phone. He was surprised and a little disappointed that there were no messages from Marinette. His fingers nimbly rushed over the screen as he texted her to say he was home safely. He put his bag in his closet and sat at his desk, drumming his fingers as he stared at the phone waiting.

An agonising four minutes later she responded and he eagerly wondered how he could invite himself back over. Nothing came to mind and Plagg continued to grumble about wanting more cheese. He laid his head in his hand and his fingers tightened against his scalp. They had almost kissed and all he wanted to do was go back to her and take up where they left off. His phone buzzed and he groaned as it reminded him that he had piano lessons in ten minutes. So much for rushing back to Marinette.

* * *

Later that night Cat Noir made his way across the rooftops. He couldn't stay away a moment longer. The lights were on in Marinette's room and he made sure he landed lightly on her balcony so he could peer down her skylight. She was busy at her sewing machine and a smile tugged at his lips as he realised she was making his jacket. He waited until she paused in her work to knock. He grinned as her startled face gawked at him.

His heart raced when she made her way up to the skylight and opened the latch. He ducked his head in and his nose sat mere millimetres from hers, "Hello Princess," he purred. She took a step back, he dropped onto her bed and bounced to his feet. He laid his hand against the wall and leant towards her, desperate to get close but at a loss of what to say.

She grinned at him, "So are your teeth all sparkly and shiny after the akuma today?"

He flashed his pearly whites at her and angled his face from side to side, " _Purr_ fectly pristine as always wouldn't you say?"

She rolled her eyes and returned to her sewing machine. "They'll do."

He closed his lips as he followed her down the stairs, "What are you making?"

"The jacket for Adrien."

He stood behind her and rested his chin on her head, subtly savouring her scent as he spoke, "Hmm black and green were you thinking of me when you designed this?"

She ducked her head and he grabbed the back of her chair to steady himself. "You may have had a slight influence on my design."

He polished his knuckles on his chest, "It's nice to know I'm a source of your inspiration."

She sighed, "Your ego doesn't need stroking, it's big enough."

He smirked, "Oh there are so many come backs to that sentence I don't know where to start."

"I should have left you locked outside."

He laughed, "You wouldn't do that you'd miss my company. Go on admit it."

Her gentle smile and the warmth in her eyes made his chest swell. She lifted her hand pinching her fingers close together, "Just a smidgin."

He lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I would miss you too."

"I think you'd miss the food," she whispered in return.

He took a step back, lifted his eyebrows and spread his hands, "I will neither confirm nor deny that."

She shook her head and picked up an offcut of fabric to reveal a plate of assorted biscuits, "Oh look what I found."

"Be still my heart she has snacks."

She picked up a biscuit and promptly shoved it in his mouth. He tried to mumble around the biscuit and she laughed, "Oh, the serenity."

He threw her a dirty look as he munched. She ignored him and returned to her sewing. He sat down and as he watched Marinette his mind recalled the afternoon's events. He wished he could have returned as Adrien but by the time he'd finished his lessons and gone through his regular home routine it was too late. He'd had to settle with texting but that wasn't enough. He craved her company the way he had with Ladybug and that's when it dawned on him, he loved Marinette. His hands clenched into fists, he needed to tell her but she didn't know that he was Adrien under the mask.

She must have sensed his gaze as she stopped sewing and turned her head towards him. His bottom lip quivered as he sat straighter. She gave a slight toss of her head, "You having any more to eat?"

His stomach churned, "Maybe later."

She shrugged and absently chomped into a biscuit, returning to her sewing. He could see her calculating what to do next with her project. His attention drifted to her mouth and he was drawn to a crumb at the corner of her lips. He looked away but the idea of removing it with his tongue crept into his mind. He closed his eyes, that was something he needed to do as Adrien. She wanted Adrien and he intended to fulfil that desire, but he was currently Cat Noir and temptation was getting the better of him. He decided conversation was a good way to divert his mind, "So did you manage to speak to Adrien today?"

Her back was to him but he could hear the smile in her voice, "Yes."

He waited for her to elaborate but she didn't. He cleared his throat, "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

She stopped sewing and turned her chair to face him. She gave him a quick overview of the day and stopped when she got to the part about him being in her room.

He wanted more details, "You're killing me, what happened next?"

She blushed, "He got changed in my room and I think he was going to kiss me."

Cat Noir sat back, "You think?"

"I wasn't sure, I was so nervous. I hope I wasn't imagining things."

His gloved hand stroked his jaw, "Why didn't he kiss you?"

Her shoulders slumped, "The akuma attack ruined the moment."

"Tell me about it," he muttered.

Her brows drew together, "Huh I didn't catch that."

"Oh, um I was just thinking is there something specific he does to make you nervous?"

She began to toy with her hair, "Not really, he just has this natural ability to knock me speechless." She left out the fact that he was also partly undressed at the time. "It's more than just looks there's something deeper to him that appeals to me. It's like my soul recognises how special he is." She glanced up at Cat Noir, "That must sound so sappy."

He regarded her with a look she couldn't read but it was so intense she turned away. She glanced back as he crossed the room to stand before her, "Maybe I can help you."

She eyed him sceptically, "How exactly?"

He picked up her hands from her lap and held them in his, "We could rehearse. Imagine I'm Adrien, what would you say?"

She smirked as she peered up at him from her seat, "I can see right up your nose."

He rolled his eyes, "Really? Interesting opening to a serious conversation." He gave a hard tug on her hands and she rose to her feet. Her scent filled his nose and his eyes drifted over her face, that crumb was incredibly close. He knew it was a bad idea but he couldn't help himself, "I bet I can get you to stutter."

She scoffed at him, "I doubt it."

"Hmm I take that as a challenge," his eyes were devilish as he pulled her closer. His hand cupped her jaw, "You have a crumb near your lips. Stand perfectly still, if you dare." Her eyes flashed at his taunt and he smirked. Slowly he moved forward, his masked nose brushed along hers as he lowered his face. His tongue made a lazy trail from the crumb up to the corner of her lips. He felt her shiver as he moved away.

"W-what d-do f-for?"

He grinned, "There's the stuttering Marinette we all know and love."

She glared at him from under her lashes, "How is that supposed to help me?"

He lifted her right hand still held in his and kissed her palm, "Just setting the mood for the speech you're trying to give. Realism is the key to success. Let's try again," he paused and the teasing note dropped from his voice as he subtly divulged his identity, "I'm Adrien, tell me what you want."

Her eyes raked over his face and turned wicked, the toes of her shoes touched his as she freed her hands to place them on his chest. The passion in her eyes was unmistakable and his heart thundered as she confessed, "I want to kiss you." He inhaled sharply and he dipped his head. His lips were a hair away from hers when she pushed him back, "But you're not Adrien."

"Says who," he snapped, distressed by her withdrawal. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close, "I'm right here Marinette and I want to kiss you too." Her confused eyes darted from his lips and back. He adjusted his grip to shift her even closer. His pupils dilated as her breasts pressed to his chest and he felt the rapid increase of her breathing. She gasped at the contact and his gaze dropped to her mouth. She wet her lips with her tongue and he inched his face closer, waiting for her to close the gap. She continued to hesitate. His lips parted and his breath teased her skin. Then she responded and his heart stopped as her lips found his. His fingers dug into her shirt as their mouths moved against one another, a satisfied groan escaped him as her arms wound around his shoulders and her fingers sank into his hair. He deepened the kiss and felt her melt against him. His right hand ventured lower, pulling her more firmly against him.

But it was all too short, her hands moved to his shoulders and she was shoving him away. He reluctantly complied but his arms remained around her. "I-I can't do this," Marinette whimpered, "This shouldn't have happened."

Worry painted Cat Noir's face, "Marinette…"

She stepped away from him, "Please just leave."

His eyes searched her face, "We should talk about this," he prompted. He'd essentially told her who he was and she'd dismissed it as teasing.

She closed her eyes and pointed to the exit, "Leave Cat Noir."

With a resigned sigh, he did as he was told.

* * *

 **The kitchen is heating up but I'm sure you can take it. More ingredients are to come. Once again thanks for the support, stay tuned :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight – Add a splash of misunderstanding to bind_

It had been all too familiar, the banter and the flirting. It was something she'd been missing between Ladybug and Cat Noir. After she'd turned him down as Ladybug the flirting had pretty much disappeared between the two superheroes and while there was some banter it was nothing in comparison to that of Cat Noir and Marinette. Then the flirting had started and Marinette had welcomed it as she'd felt that Cat Noir was returning to his normal self.

She enjoyed the verbal sparring they shared. When he'd thrown out the challenge of making her stutter she thought she'd easily beat him but she'd been wrong. She hadn't expected him to do something so sensual and her response to him had been a shock. It made her reassess her partner. There had always been something very endearing about him despite how cheeky and annoying he could be. But in the past, she hadn't attempted to delve beyond that, she never truly saw him. He always saw the best in her while she only took notice of how he behaved. She trusted him with her life but she hadn't let him near her heart, yet somehow Cat Noir had been slowly creeping in and she'd been blatantly ignoring it.

She thought about his so-called assistance. There had been a change to his voice when he'd said he was Adrien. Part of her believed him, she'd fully intended on kissing him until her brain pointed out that it was Cat Noir in front of her and not her crush. She'd never forget the look on his face when she attempted to push him away initially. There had been a touch of hurt but also a level of desire that superseded anything she'd seen from him before as Ladybug. While her partner tried to act like he was pretending Marinette knew he was not. That discovery had confused her. The fact that he didn't back down was also something new. His determination to kiss her had been flattering and she'd seen something so familiar in his eyes that she'd gotten lost in the moment.

Now he was at the top of her stairs peering over his shoulder at her with pleading eyes. She couldn't look at him, she needed to dissect what had happened. She turned her back on him and wrapped her arms around her torso. She heard the skylight open and close but she was pretty sure he was still on the balcony. He was probably right and they should talk but Marinette's emotions were turbulent. She moved out of visual range from the skylight and tucked herself into a ball under the stairs. Tikki skirted around the edge of the room and landed on her knee.

"What just happened?" she whispered to her kwami. "We were mucking around like usual, how did we end up here?"

Tikki gently stroked her arm, "I guess Cat Noir began to see you as more than a friend."

"But when? He's been helping me with Adrien, this makes no sense."

"Doesn't it? He likes you a lot Marinette."

She blew out a long breath which ruffled her fringe, "I like him too." Her hand lifted to touch her lips. Clearly, she had a thing for guys with blonde hair and green eyes. Marinette dropped her chin to her vacant knee, "Could he be jealous?"

"Maybe but he's the only one that can answer that."

Marinette looked up, so far there had been no tell-tale thump of his departure. Had he fallen for her while helping her scheme after Adrien? Her shoulders slumped and she cradled her face in her hands, "I never should have kissed him." Even as she said it she couldn't truly regret the kiss. It had been everything she'd imagine a first kiss should be and there was no denying the newly discovered attraction to her partner. She dropped her fingers away and sighed, "Why has everything got to be so complicated?"

The red kwami sat on her shoulder hugging her neck, "Maybe you should talk to him to try and understand how he feels."

She shook her head and sat her chin on her knees, "I told him to go away."

"I think he's still here."

She lowered her voice even further, "I've already broken his heart once Tikki. I'm not going to do it again."

"You can't control who he loves."

"Are you suggesting he loves me?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you, I suspect he does."

Marinette lowered her face to her knees, "How did things get so messed up?"

* * *

Cat Noir sat with his back against the railing, his hair was being tossed by the wind as he held the end of his tail in his hands. He'd gone too far tonight, yet he stayed on her balcony in the hope that she might come out to talk. Marinette meant everything to him and he needed to fix this misunderstanding. He'd told her the truth but he'd been too subtle. To be honest he didn't even know if he was actually allowed to reveal himself to her. Ladybug was adamant about keeping their identities a secret but he was tired of it. He wanted to tell the most important person in his life who he really was. Originally that person had been Ladybug and he still felt obligated to reveal himself to her first, it seemed wrong not to. They trusted each other implicitly with their lives but he trusted Marinette with his heart.

Yet he knew Ladybug's logic rang true. If Hawkmoth ever found out who they were it would put them and potentially their loved ones at risk. The idea of Marinette being akumatised froze the blood in his veins. Nearly all of his classmates had been under Hawkmoth's control at some time but she was not one of them. He began to wonder if his visits were to her detriment.

He sighed as he considered things from Marinette's point of view. She had to be confused. Cat Noir had been pushing her after Adrien and she had no idea that the two guys were one and the same. She had no clue that it was Adrien who had come back, who couldn't stop thinking about the kiss they'd almost shared and who wanted to make it happen for real. She didn't know because he was in Cat Noir's form. He should have been patient and waited.

His shoulders dropped as her bedroom lights went out. He folded his arms onto his knees and laid his forehead on top. She wasn't talking to him. The squeak of the skylight opening brought his head up. He ducked as a blanket was tossed at him. "Don't catch a cold," she growled before disappearing back inside. A small smile touched his lips, he had hope.

* * *

Marinette had intended to talk to him but as soon as she'd seen Cat Noir looking so down in the dumps she'd chickened out. In all honestly, she didn't know what to say. She pulled up the covers and looked away from the skylight. She snuggled down into her pillow and closed her eyes hoping that she'd be able to make more sense of things tomorrow. But then she heard the skylight open, she glanced up and frowned. She must have forgotten to latch it. Cat Noir quietly crawled inside and lay down behind her.

"Go away," she murmured.

"I will but not yet," she felt the bed move under his weight as he shifted to spoon her from behind. His gloved hand came to rest on her upper arm. "I'm sorry I upset you. That was never my intention. You mean a lot to me, to be honest you're my closest friend and I don't want to ruin what we have." He paused to nuzzle his face against her shoulder, "I got carried away. You're very special to me Marinette, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Her reply was hesitant, "Why did you kiss me?"

He was silent for a moment and she noticed his fingers fiddling with a strand of her hair. "It's hard to explain," his arm looped around her and he gave her a squeeze. "There's not a lot of love in my life Marinette. Sometimes I want it so bad that I go about things the wrong way. I did that tonight, didn't I?"

She rolled over to face him and studied his soulful eyes, "But you know I'm in love with someone else. I don't understand your motivation."

His hand lifted to stroke the side of her face, "Tonight you looked at me with so much love and I…" he looked to the ceiling then closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers, when he opened them again he shifted away, "…I should go."

Her fingers reached out but only skimmed his ankle as he pulled himself up through the skylight. "Cat," she called.

"Good night Princess," he said as he disappeared into the night.

* * *

Adrien had come to a decision. He would be hands off as Cat Noir and leave the wooing of Marinette to Adrien. He'd confused her enough. Trying to get her to love both sides of him at this point was only going to cause further misunderstandings. He had also come to the conclusion that he needed to slow things down. His eagerness for love had driven him to push too hard too quickly. He realised he hadn't taken Marinette on a date as yet and that need to be rectified. With this in mind he stood at the school entrance waiting for her.

He groaned as Chloe climbed out of her car and spotted him. No doubt she'd be wanting to get back into his good graces and now was a prime opportunity since he was standing alone. She raced up the stairs with a parcel in her hand, "Hi Adrikins."

"Good morning Chloe," he said with fake enthusiasm.

She didn't pick up on it and sauntered closer to him, "I got you something."

He blinked as she shoved the parcel at his chest, "Um okay."

"Open it," she said as she clutched her hands together and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

He gave a nod and tore open the brown paper. Inside was a yellow dress shirt from his father's latest line. "Thanks Chloe," he said woodenly.

"You can wear it today, it'll look so good on you."

It didn't escape his attention that the shirt was remarkably similar to Chloe's own attire. There was fine black and white striping at the cuff of each sleeve and across the top of the breast pocket. He didn't want to wear it, especially when he was certain it was Chloe's way of getting back at Marinette. "After yesterday I wouldn't want to get it ruined. I'll take it home for safe keeping."

She pouted, "Oh alright but next time we go out you should wear it."

"I'll see what I can do," he answered as he tucked the shirt into his bag. Then she lunged for his elbow and his demeanour changed. For once he didn't give in to her wants and held his arms flat against his body, "Not now Chloe."

Her lips pulled together sourly, "Fine, whatever. I'll see you later."

As she disappeared into the school grounds he felt the tension leave his shoulders. It was some time later when Marinette finally appeared. He frowned as he noticed her hair was messily pulled into a single ponytail and the usual bounce in her step was missing. She almost brushed passed him until he said her name. She looked up with a start, "Adrien?"

"Are you alright?"

She blinked as if only registering his presence, "I didn't sleep well."

"I hope it wasn't because of me." He waited to see if she had put the pieces together after he'd left.

Her eyes widened, "N-no why would it be."

Apparently she hadn't and he scrambled for an answer, "I uh thought you might be having problems with the jacket."

She let out a relieved sigh, "Oh it's going okay."

"Are you sure you're alright? You look really pale," he placed his hand on her far shoulder and nudged her closer. He was relieved when a pink blush touched her cheeks. Encouraged by her response he lifted his free hand and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "If you don't want to be here I can walk you home."

The world had stopped for Marinette. Adrien was making physical contact with her. She wanted to lean against him but the image of Cat Noir came to mind and she decided against it. She looked up at Adrien and saw real concern in his eyes. It was tempting to let him take her back home but she missed enough school due to akuma attacks. "No, it's okay. I'll be alright."

"As long as you're sure. How about we walk together to class?"

She smiled at him and boldly wrapped an arm around his waist, "That sounds great."

* * *

Marinette did her best to focus in class but it was hard when she was both physically and mentally exhausted. She'd tossed and turned for hours before deciding to go for a rooftop jaunt as Ladybug. By the time she had arrived home the sky was losing its inky darkness. She guessed she'd only gotten two hours sleep before she'd had to crawl out of bed for school.

On the bright side Adrien was very attentive and just plain nice. At each break, he'd hung out with her and chatted. For a while the adrenalin of having his attention had kept her sharp but as the afternoon rolled by she felt her whole body slumping towards the desk. The words on the board kept blurring together and the monotone drone of their teacher wasn't helping. Alya poked her with the blunt end of her stylus and Marinette straightened up.

Adrien glanced over at her and smiled. He'd been doing that a lot. She smiled back then he returned his attention to taking notes. The bell eventually rang and Marinette dumped whatever was on her desk into her bag. She waited for the majority of the class to exit before standing up as she didn't want to be bowled over in her current state of fatigue.

Adrien was waiting outside the door, "Can I walk you home?"

Her eyes widened, it was the second time he'd asked that day. "What about your chauffeur?"

"Well given how tired you look maybe I should give you a lift home."

She smirked, "But my place is so far."

He grinned, "I know, I'm not sure you'll survive the distance."

"Ye of little faith."

He chuckled, "Come on I'll give you a ride."

She raised a brow, "Will you now." She froze as she realised that was the sort of taunt she'd give Cat Noir.

Adrien had a gleam in his eye, "Only if you say please."

Her eyes bulged, she had no idea Adrien had it in him. She squeaked, "Please."

He took her hand, led her to the waiting car and opened the door for her. She slid across the smooth leather seats feeling completely stunned as Adrien slipped in behind her. He gave instructions to his driver as she continued to stare blankly ahead. She jumped as his fingers laced through hers. She looked across to him, his eyes darted away and his cheeks flushed. She noticed he was chewing his bottom lip and bouncing his right knee.

"Is something wrong?"

His blush darkened as he made eye contact with her, "Uh no. I was just wondering if, that is um, would you like to go on a date with me?"

Marinette's mouth dropped open, "Uh what?" she had to be dreaming.

His fingers tightened around hers, "Will you go on a date with me?"

* * *

 **And to think my original story draft finished at eight chapters, not anymore. I suspect you know what Marinette's answer will be but what else will happen? Stay tuned :)**


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9 – Roll out courtship and divide attention_

Marinette realised it wasn't a dream as a small bead of sweat formed at Adrien's temple and his grip on her hand was so firm it was starting to cut off the circulation. She'd never known Adrien to be this nervous. Her fatigued brain was slowly processing this but it also threw out a reminder that she'd kissed Cat Noir within the last 24 hours. A kiss she'd fallen into while thinking about Adrien. But this is what Cat Noir had been helping her with, this was what she wanted, wasn't it? She'd be a fool to turn away the guy she'd been pining over for so long. Her lips parted and words formed, "I'd love to go on a date with you."

The death grip eased on her hand as he grinned at her, "Really?"

She smiled, "Yes really."

"That's fantastic. How does Saturday night sound?"

She looked at their intertwined hands, "Sounds great."

The car pulled up outside the bakery. "We can discuss the details tomorrow," he lifted her hand for a kiss. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

* * *

Marinette's excitement overruled her fatigue long enough to rejoice with Tikki. Once they finished she'd intended to call Alya but instead she dropped onto her daybed and promptly fell asleep. She was later roused by a hand gently shaking her shoulder. With bleary eyes Marinette looked up to see her mother. "Hey sweetie, dinner is ready."

Marinette rubbed her eyes, "What time is it?"

"A little after seven, we thought we'd let you sleep."

"Thanks Mum."

* * *

Adrien sat at the long table poking his food around his plate as he considered what to say to his father. "Is something the matter?"

His head shot up as he looked into Gabriel's assessing eyes, "I need to talk to you about something."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and lowered his utensils to his plate, "What is it?"

"I-I asked a girl on a date. I wanted to check it was okay to go out on Saturday night."

Amusement lit Gabriel's eyes, "I see. What were you thinking of doing?"

"A movie and dinner," Adrien answered as he rolled his peas into a pile.

"Do I know the girl?"

"Yes, it's Marinette. She won the bowler hat competition you ran a couple of years ago."

Gabriel folded his arms on the table, "Uh yes I remember. She was quite talented. Are you sure she's not using you to further her ambitions?"

Adrien dropped his fork and glared at his father, "She would never do that."

He cocked his head to the side, coolly studying his son, "Are you so sure? Some people are very talented at hiding their true intentions."

"I know Marinette, she's a good friend. She wouldn't hide anything from me."

Gabriel shrugged, "Very well. I'll permit you to bring her to the house. You can watch a movie and eat dinner here."

Adrien picked up his fork, "Can it be just the two of us?"

"For the most part," he said as he resumed his meal.

"Thank you, father."

* * *

It was Ladybug's turn for patrol. Marinette had decided it was best if she didn't exit via her balcony. Cat Noir's regular visits made it too risky to leave that way. Instead she snuck downstairs with the pretence of taking the rubbish outside. She walked quietly down the street and transformed a short distance from her home.

After doing her rounds without incident she made her way across the rooftops and froze as she spotted Cat Noir pacing on her balcony. The lights were out in her room and he seemed agitated. She lowered herself to the ground and returned to the place of her initial transformation and walked home. Her chosen route wasn't easily seen from her balcony so she had no problems sneaking back inside. As she climbed the stairs she smiled at her parents who were deeply engrossed in a double episode of their favourite TV show. It was one of the reasons why she'd chosen to patrol of Thursday.

She flicked on the lights to her room as she lifted the trap door. She was almost to her computer when she heard the quiet rap at her skylight. She trudged up the stairs to see a pair of glowing green eyes watching her. She took a deep breath and tried to ease the tension in her clenched jaw. She needed to tell him about the development with Adrien. Had it been a day earlier she was sure he would have been happy but now she had no idea how he'd react. Her own emotions were mixed, she was elated that Adrien had asked her out but she also felt a sense of guilt.

As she opened the skylight a gloved hand reached down to her, "Come out here." She frowned but complied. As soon as the door was closed he rounded on her, "Where have you been?"

She was surprised by his anger, "I went for a walk."

"At this time of night? What were you thinking?"

She crossed her arms, "Uh I wanted some air, Dad."

His brows dropped menacingly, "I'm not your father."

"Well that's a relief," she smirked. She could see him trying to fight back his own amusement. "Otherwise that would make things _purr_ oblematic."

He looked at her sideways but she caught the tug of a smile. "I can't stay mad at you, especially with a pun."

"You were mad?"

"I've been waiting for nearly two hours."

That surprised her, "I didn't think I was gone for that long." She knew she had but she couldn't tell him she'd been out on patrol.

His hand lifted then he seemed to think better of it and dropped it to his side. "I wanted to know," he grew quiet, "are things okay between us?"

She shook her head with a sardonic smile, "Apparently not, you just said you're mad at me."

He snorted back a laugh, "Uh yes I was."

The sarcasm left her face, "You might remain so."

"Why is that?"

"Adrien asked me on a date."

He lowered his head so his mask and hair concealed his features. He turned away from her and his hands arrowed out to brace the railing as if supporting his weight. There was a roughness to his voice, "What did you say?"

She eyed his broad back nervously, "I said yes."

His head moved so she could see the edge of his profile, "Are you happy?"

She couldn't contain her smile, "Yes I am." She moved forward to touch his shoulder, "I'm sorry if that upsets you."

He spun around quickly, pulling her into a hug as his hand caught the back of her head and pressed her into the crook of his shoulder, "I'm happy that you're happy." She tried to lift her head but he wasn't letting her. She suspected he didn't want her to see his face.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he shot back a little too fast.

"Cat Noir, you're acting weird."

He let her go and pivoted away with his back to her again, "No, no I'm fine. Great actually."

"You don't have to put on an act, you can be honest with me."

His hands balled into fists and then relaxed. "Honest," he repeated.

"Yes, you know where you tell the truth."

He shot a look over his shoulder and the emotion in his eyes surprised her. He was strangely thoughtful, it didn't make sense. She was sure he would have been upset. She didn't know what to make of his response, she was having trouble coming to terms with her own emotions. But if Cat Noir was okay with her dating Adrien did that mean she didn't need to feel guilty or whatever odd stream of emotions seemed to be flowing through her veins.

She stepped away from him and rubbed her hands along the sides of her arms. When she looked up Cat Noir had moved exceptionally close. "Cold?" he asked.

"A little, I should go back inside."

His eyes danced between her face and the sky, "Marinette there's something I should tell you." He placed his hands behind his back and shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "I uh, I'm not sure how you'll take this…" he paused to look at her so seriously she wondered what on earth he had to say. There was a wild look in his eyes as he lifted his head higher. "… that is to say. I-I um." He swallowed and ducked his head down, "Don't order spaghetti on your first date. It's too messy."

One of her brows slowly lifted as she continued to study him. That's what he'd been so serious about? He certainly was acting odd. "Okay I'll keep that in mind."

He shot her an awkward grin, "Good. Well then, I guess I should go. It's late and it's a school night."

She nodded as she considered his weird behaviour. "Good night Cat Noir."

He bowed and snagged the baton from his back, "Until next time."

Marinette went back inside shaking her head.

* * *

The next morning Marinette was shocked to find Adrien waiting for her in the bakery. Sabine was fussing over him as he bought two croissants. When he saw her, he waved and a shy smile spread across his face. Her heart skipped a beat as she walked to him, "Hi Adrien."

"Hi, I uh thought I'd walk to school with you. If that's okay?"

"Yeah," she said taking his arm and pulling him away from her mother and out the front door, "let's go."

"I've got some earthshattering news," he said as he offered her a croissant. She waved it off having already eaten. "You can come over on Saturday for dinner and a movie, it's the first time my father has actually agreed to something like this."

She couldn't help but tease, "So how many girls have you invited over before?"

He blanched, "What? No, I haven't asked anyone before." His panicked eyes narrowed, "You're just stirring me up, aren't you?"

She nodded with a sheepish grin. She was doing it again, treating him like Cat Noir. She considered stopping but he responded so well and she seemed to be able to talk to him when they were ribbing each other.

He tucked his chin down to the collar of his shirt and smirked, "Hey Marinette, I tried a new shampoo. What do you think?" He tossed his head and she watched as his hair cascaded to frame his face and set off his smouldering eyes.

She was glad she hadn't taken him up on the croissant, she was pretty sure she would have choked. "Looks great," she squeaked.

He pulled his arm free from hers and wrapped it around her waist, "You haven't got the full effect." He titled his head sideways, "Smell."

Her hands trembled as she lifted her nose, burying it in his hair and taking in his scent. He smelled of sandalwood and apples. Her eyes fluttered closed for a second and her mouth opened before her brain was able to filter, "You smell good enough to eat."

His fingers dug into her hip as he pulled her closer, pressing her side to his as he stood to his full height and stopped. His eyes searched hers with an intensity that made her heart race. His face dipped towards hers, "Then maybe you should have a taste." His eyes descended to her lips.

Her face was on fire and her heart felt like it was going to detonate. Her hand lifted to stroke his jaw, drawing him closer. She shuffled onto her toes and her lips met his. She couldn't believe this was finally happening. She was kissing Adrien Agreste. Then he switched it up, his free hand latched onto her shoulder as his mouth began to move over hers. She was certain the world had stopped spinning but he was suddenly torn away. He threw a death glare over his shoulder at the guy who'd bumped into them. Adrien's eyes narrowed as his hand reached for his pocket, "He stole my wallet."

Marinette was stunned as Adrien began to pursue the pickpocket. "Wait," she called. But Adrien was now running after the thief. She tried to catch up but they rounded a corner and dashed down a series of twisting alleys. She stopped and tried to assess where they'd gone. Then she heard the sounds of a struggle. Her heart raced with panic as she honed in on the noise. She was shocked to see the thief barrelled up against the wall with a familiar baton pressed against his throat. Cat Noir was glaring daggers at the thief as he took back Adrien's wallet.

"Cat Noir," she gasped.

He looked over and tossed Adrien's wallet to her, "I need to take this guy to the police. Adrien's on his way back to school."

She opened her mouth to reply but Cat Noir gripped the thief, extended his baton and disappeared over the rooftops. Marinette stood holding Adrien's wallet in shock. How had Cat Noir gotten there so fast, was he following her and how did she miss seeing Adrien coming back? She spun around and realised the alleyways were difficult to navigate so there was a chance that they'd missed each other. The situation was surreal and she felt like she was overlooking something.

She got to school as the bell rang but still hadn't seen Adrien. He wasn't in his seat when she settled beside Alya. She tapped Nino on the shoulder, "Have you seen Adrien?"

Nino shook his head, "No not so far."

Marinette sat back and dug her phone out of her bag. She had no messages. She was about to call him when he walked through the door. He gave her a nervous smile, "Sorry I got a bit lost back there."

"You shouldn't have chased that guy, he could have had a knife."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, "I didn't really think. I just reacted."

"What?" Alya piped in.

"A pickpocket stole his wallet and he chased after him," Marinette said as she threw Adrien a disapproving look.

He shrank under her gaze, "It turned out okay."

"Only because Cat Noir showed up."

Alya and Nino gasped. "No way dude," Nino grinned while nodding his approval.

Alya dug her phone out, "You have to give me an interview. I want to know all the details."

Adrien lifted his hands in surrender, "Okay but later on." He turned back to Marinette and placed his hands in his pockets, "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

She pulled his wallet from her bag. "Cat Noir sends his love," she teased as she handed it to him.

"I didn't know he cared," he smirked.

* * *

Alya's interrogation took up most of lunch and just when Marinette thought they were in the clear Adrien held her hand. "What's going on here?" Alya said looking down her nose at their hands.

The pair blushed. Marinette lowered her chin and smiled awkwardly at her friend as she realised she'd forgotten to call, "He asked me out."

Alya let out a happy whoop and dragged them both into a bear hug, "That's fantastic news. I'm so happy for you."

It didn't take long for the rest of the class to find out. Alya couldn't help gloating to Chloe. This unfortunately resulted in Chloe taking out her bad mood on everyone else then low and behold an akuma attack began.

The akuma alarm sounded and Marinette gazed cautiously at Adrien. He snatched up her hand as they made their way out. Caught up in the push of many students Marinette slyly edged away from Adrien until their grip on each other slipped. She caught the distraught look in his eyes as they parted but knew it was easier than trying to explain why she needed to get away from him.

* * *

He'd lost hold of her. Adrien was pushing against the flow of the crowd as he searched. He needed to know she was safe before he transformed. His head bobbed as he scanned the girls striding by but there was no sign of Marinette. His chest constricted with fear, she couldn't have gone too far but he couldn't see her. A roar echoed through the school grounds and he looked up to see some sort of beast on the roof of the school. Ladybug landed directly opposite with a determined look on her face. He knew he should go and help her but he had to find Marinette first. The students were moving faster now, eager to get away. He stopped fighting against them and let them jostle him through the exit.

Once on the sidewalk he rang Marinette but it went straight to voicemail. He left a message and then sent a frantic text. Ladybug's scream caught his attention and he watched as she was tossed from the rooftop. Her yoyo shot out and she managed to save herself from crashing. He couldn't hold off any longer.

He ducked away from the crowd and transformed. Cat Noir quickly made his way to his lady's side. "What's the plan, LB?"

She rubbed a gloved hand over her face as she eyed the beast. "We need to find where the akuma is. That thing is covered in hair so it's going to be tricky."

He extended his baton into a staff, "No problem milady. I'll go poke the bear."

She shook her head in dismay at his toothy grin, "You do that, I'll circle around to try and find it."

He launched away from her and the arrogant smirk disappeared from his face. His eyes searched the ground for Marinette as he sailed from building to building. He dropped to the side of the beast and returned his attention to the job at hand. Ladybug was right, the thing had long marled hair that hung in large clumps which prevented them from identifying the akumatised object. He extended his baton, using it to lift patches of hair as the thing lashed out at him. He danced away, jumping as it swiped at him with a large clawed hand.

Cat Noir dove out of reach, rolling under the creature's belly and cringing as the mattered hair brushed the bare skin of his face. "Ew," he spat as a tuft caught on his cat ear and dropped across his face as he got to his feet. He shook his head to dislodge the revolting thing. In that second the beast managed to land a hit on him and he went flying towards the opposite roof. He heard the sound of Ladybug's yoyo and felt it spin around his ankle, catching him and changing his momentum so he landed where he needed to be.

He moved into a defensive stance beside his lady, "Any luck?"

"Yeah he's wearing a watch on his left wrist. It's got to be there."

He gave a curt nod, identifying the glint of metal and lifted his hand, "Cataclysm." He heard her call for her lucky charm as he raced forward. He bounced around the creature's attacks, getting close then he dropped and slid across the roof, dragging his hand behind him. He heard a metallic groan as the roof reacted to his power. The creature lost its footing and madly scrambled for purchase. He turned and watched as Ladybug did her thing, breaking the watch and purifying the akuma. He chuckled as she tossed an ice pick in the air and called, "Miraculous Ladybug."

He moved to stand beside her, "Remind me not to give you the cold shoulder." He paused as he realised there was a flirty undertone to his words. Ladybug blinked as she looked at him and seemed just as startled by his return to old habits. She lifted her fist but her eyes darted about. He stepped towards her and knocked his fist against hers, "Pound it." He quickly backed away with an awkward smile.

* * *

 **I can't believe how quickly I punched out this chapter. I think it's the motivation of hitting over 100 followers and having such lovely reviews. Thanks everyone. I'll aim to have another chapter up prior to Christmas, since there's a special date coming up for our two heroes (but I can't promise, silly season and all that).** **Thanks again for the support :)**


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10 – Place dating into mix, submerge in apprehension_

Ladybug stood on the roof as her brain processed what had just happened. Cat Noir had flirted with her and part of her liked it. She'd quickly reassured the akuma victim all was okay and had lowered him to the ground before launching back to the roof. She didn't want to think about Cat Noir but she had to admit he'd been lingering in her thoughts since that kiss. Her mind seemed to be warring between the two guys who had kissed her. She shook her head. Cat Noir was a living contradiction. He wanted her to be with Adrien, didn't he? She groaned, she really needed to stop thinking.

She dropped to the ground a couple of blocks from home and transformed. As she made her way to the footpath she felt her phone vibrate. She winced as she viewed the number of missed calls and messages showing, she felt even worse as she listened to the voicemails from Adrien. She adjusted the straps of her bag as she looked at Tikki, "What excuse am I going to give to Adrien?"

The kwami looked just as uncertain, "You hid in the park?"

Her guilt increased when she found him waiting for her outside the bakery. She watched his face shift from distress to relief as he swept her into a hug. Then came the question, "Where did you go?"

He looked so upset she wanted to tell him the truth but she couldn't. "I-I got pushed along with the crowd. I ended up in the park. It seemed too risky to try and make it home."

"Why didn't you answer my calls or texts?"

Guilt washed over her anew and she pressed her cheek against his shoulder, "I didn't hear it. I kind of panicked."

"Please don't scare me like that again," he whispered into her hair.

Shame seemed to seep into her very bones as she knew it was likely to happen again. She couldn't promise him that and it made her cringe, "I'm sorry." She pulled back to look at him, so much worry shone in his eyes. "Sometimes I…"

He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Sometimes?" he prompted.

Her mind thought of all the times she'd had to run from her friends so she could transform. As much as it hurt her to deceive them it would be worse if they worried like this about her because they knew she was Ladybug, with her resolve firmly back in place she laid a hand on his chest, "…I get so scared I run without thinking. Just ask Alya. I'm the world's biggest scaredy cat."

His fingers cradled her face as he gazed into her eyes, "Aren't you lucky that I like cats."

She smiled, "Very lucky indeed." She couldn't look him in the eye, so she hugged him again and buried her face in his shoulder. She wondered what impact being Ladybug would have on their relationship if they grew closer, trust was a key component and doubt filled her at the prospect of what lengths she'd have to go to in concealing her alter ego. She had never liked liars and had always hated the fact that she had to deceive her family and friends about her sudden disappearances. She'd never considered how she would feel about integrating that same level of deception into a relationship. The only other person who would understand her predicament was Cat Noir but she couldn't really discuss it with him.

Adrien groaned as his phone buzzed. He stepped back, lifted it out of his pocket and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "Apparently I'm required for a follow up photoshoot." She stepped away from him but continued to hold his hand. "Hey about tomorrow, I'll pick you up about six if that's okay?"

She nodded and squeezed his fingers, pushing away her doubts, "I look forward to it."

He lifted her hand for a kiss, "Until then."

* * *

For most of Saturday Marinette considered the wisdom of starting a romantic relationship with Adrien. As much as she wanted him she really wondered how she could make it work when she'd have to sneak away from him to transform into Ladybug. She'd never had a boyfriend but she'd observed enough couples at school to know just how close they got. Adrien was already showing signs of being a little clingy. She liked the idea of him wanting to be with her as much as possible, of him touching her and holding her but that had made leaving him the previous day a challenge.

The easiest way for him to accept her sudden need to part from him was to tell him the truth but she hadn't even told Cat Noir who she was. Her eyes widened at the thought of partner. Cat Noir had wanted to know her identity for so long it would be truly cruel to tell someone else before she told him. She could only imagine how badly he'd react when he realised the girl who'd comforted him and became his close friend was also the girl who had broken his heart. A reveal to anyone was out of the question.

She continually tossed around the idea of cancelling the date but Tikki reassured her that all would be okay. Alya arrived a couple of hours before Adrien was due to help her get ready. Her friend assumed she was simply having an anxiety attack and also encouraged her to go. They went through about a dozen different outfit choices before settling on a simple black dress that hugged her curves and accentuated her legs. To add some colour to her outfit she wore a pair of hot pink heels, a pink beaded necklace and matching purse. Alya also suggested she take a cute pink knitted cardigan in case it got cold.

Her excitement was rekindled as Adrien arrived right on the dot of six. Alya stayed at the top of the stairs while her parents occupied the bottom landing. Marinette opened the door with a trembling hand and tried to keep her mouth from dropping open. Adrien looked like he'd come straight from the catwalk. He wore a burgundy dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and deep green jeans with a pair of Doc Martins. His thumb hooked through one of his belt loops as he threw her a smile, "Hi Marinette."

She managed to utter a "Hi," in return. He looked absolutely stunning to the point she considered grabbing him by his shirt front and dragging him over for a kiss but she didn't dare. Instead her face reddened. He must have been thinking something similar as his cheeks darkened as well.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "You look amazing. Are you ready to go?"

She decided nodding was an acceptable answer as her chances of putting together a coherent sentence were slim. He seemed to understand. He held out his hand to her and she was reminded of that moment when he'd given her his umbrella in the rain. Instead of a mere brush of fingers she placed her hand in his and her heart thundered at the contact.

His fingers curled around her hand as he looked over her shoulder to her parents, "I'll have her home by eleven if that's okay?"

"That's fine," Tom replied as he squeezed his wife and they waved goodbye.

* * *

Adrien's cheek rested on his fist as he admired Marinette from across the table and let out a satisfied sigh, "How's your dessert?"

She looked up and gave him a shy smile, "It's divine."

So far everything had gone well. His father had greeted her on their arrival and had been relatively civil, though he'd made an odd comment about books that made Marinette blush. He wasn't sure what that was all about. Small talk had been a bit tricky since he already knew a lot of things about her. He had to remind himself that he wasn't supposed to know all that much about Marinette but after months of visiting her as Cat Noir he knew her a lot better than she was aware of. Part of him hoped she'd subconsciously make the link between him and his alter ego.

Banter was the key to getting Marinette to open up. It was how he'd gotten close to her in the first place. It didn't matter if he was Cat Noir or Adrien, Mariette responded to him best when they were ribbing each other. Sometimes he found himself automatically shifting into Cat Noir mode and the teasing came easily, he'd done so the day before when he walked her to school. He'd remembered her comment about finding his hair flip distracting and had decided to test it out. It worked far better than he'd imagined, unfortunately he'd probably moved things along a bit too quickly. He had to remind himself that she wasn't aware of how well acquainted they already were. He was far more invested in their budding relationship than she could possibly know.

* * *

Marinette was enjoying their date but somehow Cat Noir kept slipping into her thoughts. She found herself wondering what his reaction would be and what sort of puns he'd throw around about the huge Agreste mansion as well as the ones about Adrien himself. She looked at her spoon as she laid it in the empty bowl. She had no idea what he'd do. His reaction to her date with Adrien hadn't been what she'd expected plus he'd been odd after the akuma attack. She looked up as Adrien spoke.

"Ready to pick a movie?"

She nodded and pushed the thoughts of Cat Noir aside. She was here with Adrien and he should have been the only person she was thinking about, "Sure am."

* * *

They sat on the sofa in his bedroom and debated what to watch. Eventually they decided on a classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Adrien passed her a large bowl of popcorn and settled beside her. His shoulder pressed to hers as he grabbed a handful of popcorn and he paid little attention to the film. Instead his eyes continued to drift to her profile, taking in the tilt of her nose and the curve of her cheek. He found himself drawn particularly to the line of her lips. The light of the screen flickered on her face casting interesting shadows. For a moment, the top half of her face was hidden in darkness and his heart beat faster. She looked remarkably like Ladybug. He mentally shook himself and turned his attention back to the screen.

For too long he'd been fixated on his crime fighting partner and he wasn't about to substitute Marinette for a fantasy he'd never make a reality. His mind returned to the last akuma fight and his slip back to flirting. He had no idea what had brought it on. Perhaps the awkwardness of being rejected by Ladybug was finally starting to fade. He liked that things were getting back the way they used to be but it also troubled him.

Marinette laid her head on his shoulder bringing him back from his thoughts. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. He felt the heat of her hand as she placed it on his thigh and he inhaled sharply. She looked up at him and gently pressed a kiss to his cheek. He gave her a lopsided smile as his hand lifted to her cheek, "Not enjoying the movie?"

"The movie is fine but the guy next to me is awfully distracting."

His eyes drifted to her mouth, "I'm finding the same thing with the girl beside me." His lips had barely touched hers when there was a loud clunk.

They pulled apart and Marinette giggled as the popcorn bowl rolled to a stop on the floor with its contents scattered at their feet. "Oops."

He shrugged, "It's gone to a _butter_ place."

She looked at him, "Did you just say a pun?"

"Uh yes. Yes, I did." His wide eyes studied her waiting to see if there was any recognition.

She shook her head as she continued to giggle, "That's so _corny_."

A slow smiled spread across his face, "You mean you're not _bowled_ over?"

"I'm completely _floored_ ," she said as she knelt down and started scooping up the spilled popcorn.

He kept smiling at her as he moved to the floor to help her clean up, at that moment his father walked in. "What happened here?"

Adrien shrugged, "Popcorn disaster."

"I see."

"We'll clean it up."

"Be sure that you do. I'll be in the study if you need me."

Adrien gave a nod and turned back to Marinette presenting her with a cheeky grin as his father closed the door, "I'm glad he's _popped_ out."

She rolled her eyes as she grinned, "Oh stop too much."

He chuckled as they finished cleaning up, "Okay if you insist."

"I do," she said as she sat down but her attention was on him and not the screen.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked turning his head from side to side.

She caught his chin, "I think there's a bit of popcorn near your mouth."

His pupils dilated, he'd said something very similar to her as Cat Noir regarding the forbidden crumb. Did she know? Had she put the pieces together? He lifted his chin slightly, "What are you going to do about?" Anticipation was quickly quashed by disappointment as she brushed it away with her fingers.

"All gone," she said as she sat back.

He closed his eyes for a moment, he wanted her to know. He wanted her to put it together. He searched his memory for something he'd said or did that would lead her to his alter ego then shook his head. He couldn't blur the lines, not yet. He sat back and pulled her close, she snuggled in against his chest and he decided to actually watch some of the movie.

* * *

Marinette's heart raced, she couldn't believe what had happened. It had been almost the same situation she'd been in with Cat Noir and she had seriously considered using her tongue on Adrien the way Cat Noir had done with her. But it felt wrong to replicate a moment she'd had with one guy to another. She half expected Cat Noir to be hanging outside the window taunting at her. She glanced away from the screen and was relieved that he was not.

She relaxed and nuzzled her head against Adrien's shoulder. It felt so good to be this close to him, she placed a hand on his chest and snuggled closer. This is what she'd dreamed of, this is where she wanted to be and it felt right. But still Cat Noir haunted her thoughts. Adrien's hand lifted to cover hers, intertwining their fingers against his chest. He lifted her hand briefly to place a kiss on her knuckles then lowered it back.

As the movie progressed Adrien absently stroked the side her neck with this thumb and she had trouble keeping her focus on what was happening. Then the film arrived at the scene with Indy and Marion alone in the ship cabin and her breathing increased as she glanced at Adrien to find him watching her. He gently turned her face toward him with the tips of his fingers and stroked the hollow of her cheeks. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her temple, her cheek, her nose and then her chin. He curled his fingers into her hair and found her mouth. They kissed slowly, tentatively learning how to move together and both giggled as they caught Marinette's arm awkwardly between their bodies. She smiled up at him relishing the fact that they could be silly with each other.

As the night came to an end Marinette felt like she was floating on a cloud. They'd gamed together after the movie and then Adrien had challenged her to a series of foosball matches. While she remained nervous she found herself becoming more relaxed in his presence and hoped he was enjoying their date as much as she was. Eventually it was time to go home and worry started to eat at her again. They were quiet in the car, Adrien held her hand smiling warmly at her as she tried to think of something to say. All too quickly the car pulled up outside her door and Adrien helped her out.

"I had a really good time, Marinette."

"Me too," she beamed.

He placed his hands on her elbows and pulled her close, "Can we do this again?"

She nodded, certain that if she spoke it wouldn't be coherent.

"Great," he grinned as he dipped his head and kissed her goodnight.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay on this one, had a problem uploading the chapter (anyone else having Doc Manager problems?). Anyway thanks for reading and the support. Will Marinette's concerns about dating and being Ladybug come to light? Stay tuned :)**


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11 – Gently toss contentment in conflict until wilted_

Ladybug dropped through the skylight and landed on her bed as Marinette. She flopped back on her pillows and dropped her arm over her eyes to shade them from the sun. Yet another date with Adrien had been cut short by an akuma attack. They'd just exited the cinema and been heading off for lunch when their phones had both pinged with an akuma warning from the Ladyblog. In order to keep her secret safe she'd let Adrien take her home first. As she sat beside him she could feel the nervous energy rolling off him. His hand had been sweating as he'd held hers and his knee had started bouncing. She did her best to control her urge to flee and transform. She wondered if her emotions were feeding his.

After he'd dropped her off she'd quickly transformed and half expected to find Cat Noir already in the fray. Her response times over the last three months had suffered, having someone so interested in her personal safety had created some additional constraints in trying to slip away without causing a fuss. Oddly enough Adrien often had his own reasons to leave during akuma attacks which made things easier, although some of his excuses seemed a bit thin. A distant look would flit over his features before he'd sheepishly say he had something to do and vanished. She noticed he did the same thing during school attacks, plus he usually returned around the same time she did. It made her wonder, did Adrien have a fear of akumas or was there something else motivating him to move? The idea of him being Cat Noir seemed utterly ridiculous so she passed that one over.

She was so lost in thought she almost missed the knock on her trapdoor. Within seconds Adrien's head popped up, "I'm back."

She smiled warmly at him as she made her way down, "And here I was thinking I'd been ditched."

"As if I'd ever ditch you willingly. Besides I come bearing gifts." She raised a brow as he revealed a pizza box from behind his back, "Lunch is served." Adrien lay the pizza box on the floor and they sat down. He shuffled closer so his leg was pressed against hers and placed a kiss on her cheek, "Is it just me or does every akuma attack seem to be when we're on a date?"

She smiled at his pout. "It feels like it but I don't think so," she said as she picked up a slice.

He placed an arm behind her back to brace himself as he stretched out his legs, "Hawkmoth is so inconsiderate but then again so is my father."

Her brows drew together, "What do you mean?"

He blew out a breath that lifted his fringe, "My father's launching a new line and I'll be booked solid all of next week for photoshoots." He lay his head on her shoulder, "That basically means very little to no time for us."

"Well that sucks. I'll be suffering boyfriend withdrawals," she said running her fingers through his hair and down his jaw.

He let out a sigh, "Apparently absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"You don't sound convinced."

"You might get lonely and find a better boyfriend."

She snorted, "As if I'd want anyone but you."

He rubbed his cheek against hers, "You make this ca- I uh I'm glad to hear it."

She turned to look at his pink face and wondered what he was really starting to say. She continued to watch him as they ate their pizza. He seemed awfully flustered all of a sudden. Once they finished she grinned at him, "I've got some news."

He returned her smile as he binned the pizza box, "Do tell."

She moved to her sewing machine, "I'm almost finished making your jacket but we'll need to do a fitting to make sure I've got it right."

He dropped his over shirt from his shoulders letting it hang midway down his back, "Do I need to take it off?" he said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Damn straight," she laughed as he threw the shirt at her face. "What would you do if one of my parents heard you?"

His cheeks turned a deep red and he swallowed, "Um uh apologise."

She smirked, "Aren't you lucky they're both busy in the bakery."

Relief touched his eyes, "Very lucky."

She picked up her work in progress and he slipped it on. She assessed the sizing and for the most part the jacket fit well but she pinned in a few adjustments to improve it. She purposefully laid her hands on his chest and back more frequently than she needed to and he lapped it up.

Marinette tried to keep her mind on the job as much as possible, Adrien stayed perfectly still during the fitting process to avoid being stuck with a pin but it was difficult to concentrate with him gazing at her with adoration. Now that she'd removed the jacket he was leaning his chest against her back with his arms looped around her waist as she placed it on the desk. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder as she picked up his shirt. She turned and gently pushed him away with a teasing smile then she held his shirt out for him to put on, "Here let me help you with this."

"Thanks," he said with a smouldering glance as he angled his arms into the sleeves.

She pulled the shirt up into position and walked around to adjust his collar, the outside of her thumbs brushed his neck as she straightened it, then she smoothed her hands down to his shoulders and left them there. She looked up to find him watching her intently, "Do you like what I've done so far?"

There was a slight flare to his nostrils as he continued to look at her, "Yes."

"Could I make any improvements?"

His gaze dropped to her mouth and he leant towards her, "You can't improve on perfection."

She smirked as his hands touched her hips, "I'm assuming you're talking about your wonderful girlfriend and not the jacket?" He shifted back slightly and tapped his finger against his chin as if in thought, she bunched her fists into his shirt to bring him back, "So?"

He shrugged, "Are you getting _shirty_ with me?"

She laughed, "Not really I'm just eager for an answer to my question."

"And here I was trying to compliment my awesome girlfriend. Now do I need to check if I can kiss you?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

He smiled and then his lips tentatively touched hers. Her fingers sunk into his hair as she encouraged him to continue and their kisses grew more heated. One of his hands slid up her back pulling her closer as the other looped tightly around her hips. She began to lose herself in the moment and then a sense of déjà vu struck. She'd had a similar moment months before with Cat Noir. She was shocked that her response to Adrien was practically the same as with Cat. Adrien seemed surprised when she pushed him away. Her eyes searched his, here stood her boyfriend, a guy she'd pined over for years, so why on earth was she thinking about Cat Noir?

"Too much?" he panted giving her some space but not letting go.

They parted as their phones both chimed, it was a notification from the Ladyblog about another akuma attack taking place. "Again?" she groaned. She slowly lifted her head to gage Adrien's reaction.

That familiar awkward look filled his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I better go."

She considered challenging him but decided it wasn't worth it. If he agreed to stay it would make it extremely difficult for her to leave. She thought about trailing him after he left but again it would be more time away from the battle and potentially more damage the akuma could do. "Be safe," she said as she gave him a peck on the lips.

"I will," he said with a wave as he dashed away.

* * *

Cat Noir's desire to take down Hawkmoth was increasing at a rapid rate. Over the last week there had been an akuma attack almost every second day. The fact there had been two in one day was disturbing. He wondered if the villain was getting desperate. At least this time the akuma had been a rather weak one. Dark Hamster was a poor excuse of an early teen who was ticked off that his parents wouldn't let him get the pet of his dreams. Hawkmoth really was scraping the bottom of the barrel. Cat Noir hadn't even needed to use cataclysm. Ladybug reassured the kid all was okay and they did their usual fist bump and left. He hadn't told Ladybug that he'd be unavailable during the day the following week but he figured there would be a least another akuma fight before he needed to bring it up.

He made his way home but dropped to the street a few blocks away to transform. He checked his phone and returned Marinette's message saying he'd made it home okay. He quickly paced his way to the mansion gates and gave his usual excuse of being caught in an akuma situation. Nathalie gave him the matching lecture to said excuse then he did his homework and had a late dinner.

Once that was done he called Marinette and was able to chat briefly. It was almost ten and he knew her parents weren't keen on her using her phone beyond that hour. After he hung up he felt disappointed. He'd hoped to have spent most of the day with Marinette but circumstances hadn't allowed for it. He knew he'd see little of her the following week so he decided it was time for his alter ego to stop by.

* * *

Cat Noir tried to stifle yet another yawn as he watched Marinette finish up her sewing for the night. The busy day was catching up to him and his eyelids were heavy. It was late and he should have gone home but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He sank into the pillows on her daybed and laced his fingers over his belly. He decided to rest his eyes for a moment. As they closed images of the day flashed through his mind. He especially relished the jacket fitting and the kiss that followed, he was completely unaware that he was smiling in his sleep.

He stirred as he felt something being laid over him. His eyes snapped open as he caught Marinette's scent. She was so close, leaning across him to tuck in the blanket. He was touched by her kindness and how much she cared. His drowsy brain went into autopilot as he pulled her down for a kiss, his arms wrapped around her as his mouth moved against hers. It took him a moment to realise she wasn't responding and had stiffened in his hold. He sat back and saw her wide eyes. He wondered what he'd done wrong when he noticed his hands on her shoulders were covered in black. He'd reacted as Adrien but he was currently Cat Noir. No wonder she was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "I'm sorry," he stuttered as she stepped away from him. He pushed the blanket off and stood. His eyes searched hers briefly before looking away. She looked like a startled rabbit, her mouth moving as if wanting to speak but nothing came out. He knew it was best if he left. She had no idea that it was her boyfriend who had just kissed her and now was not the time to tell her.

He rushed up the stairs, pausing briefly to gaze down at her. She was watching him with the same stunned expression. His chest constricted, he couldn't keep secrets anymore but he could only image how angry Marinette would be when he finally revealed the truth. He tore himself away, launching out of the skylight and into the night, cursing himself as every kind of idiot.

* * *

Marinette stared after Cat Noir wondering what on earth had happened. It was the second time Cat Noir had kissed her and this time there was no platonic excuse her mind could justify. She had to accept the truth Cat Noir was attracted to her. She glanced at Tikki and knew that she needed to talk to her partner. She climbed to her balcony to check that he was out of sight before ducking back down to transform.

The cool night air rushed passed her as she bounded over rooftops and swung between the gaps. She wanted to clear her own head before she pursued her partner. Without a destination in mind the Eiffel Tower called like a beacon. She skipped her way up, stopping when she reached one of the more secluded areas. There she paused to catch her breath and admire the view.

She listened to the hum of the city and the call of the wind. It was colder up high and she knew that she needed to move on before she got too chilly. The twinkle of lights grew brighter as the night stretched on. She rubbed her arms briefly then made her way down. She was almost home when she spotted Cat Noir on a nearby rooftop. He'd returned and was staring at her balcony with a look of uncertainty on his face.

With a toss of her yoyo she made her way towards him. He seemed surprised when she landed beside him. "Hi Cat Noir, out patrolling?" she asked as she placed her yoyo at her hip.

"Um hi LB, I needed some fresh air."

She gave a nod of understanding, "Me too, I guess it's the night for it."

The silence stretched out between them until Cat Noir finally spoke. "I need to talk to you."

She was glad he'd breached the subject, "Very well."

He looked nervous, "How about we go somewhere else?"

"Did you have somewhere in mind?" she asked as she folded her arms.

"There's a park not far from here, I'll lead the way."

She followed him across the rooftops and stopped when he did. He hesitated when they got near the park. Despite the late hour there were people chatting on a park bench below. She watched as he sank back into the shadow of the chimneys. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Cat Noir sucked in a deep breath, "I need to talk to you in private. Here isn't private."

He took her hand and vaulted them over a number of rooftops before finding the wide expanse of the stadium roof. He let her go when he confirmed the place was empty and they were out of view of the security cameras. Then he squared his shoulders and dropped his head, "I've screwed up, Ladybug."

She studied him with an unreadable expression, "Explain."

He clamped his hands behind his back and looked at his boots, "I've been visiting a friend quite a lot recently. She was there for me when things didn't work out with us." He glanced at her then back at his boots, "I was helping her out with a guy she likes but here's where it gets complicated."

Ladybug cut in, "You like her too."

He nodded seeming surprised by her deduction, "I do but there's more to it than that."

Ladybug's eyes narrowed, "Go on."

He lifted his face to the sky and let out a deep breath, "The guy she likes and is now dating is me without the mask."

* * *

 **There's some kick to the recipe now. How will Ladybug react? Will there be a proper reveal? Stay tuned for more.**

 **Once again thanks for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing. Cheers :)**


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve – Lift the lid on the truth and consider taste_

Of all the things Cat Noir could have said Ladybug never would have predicted this. She stood staring at him as her brain slowly processed his words. Her mind turned over a nugget of information Tikki had once given her about glamour, a type of magic that helped conceal their identities. She'd said that once someone confirmed the identity of a miraculous holder that magic would no longer work on the individual in the know. Cat Noir had given her the key to his identity and a faint shimmer shifted around his form. He was completely unaware of it but as it dissipated it was so obvious who was under the mask she wanted to kick herself. Sure, the hair was styled differently and he had cat eyes but the posture, face and body shape were all too familiar. And then he spoke. Her whole body stiffened as the lilt of his voice changed, it was like someone had removed a filter and she was suddenly able to hear the true sound. It was undeniably Adrien who hoarsely coaxed, "Please say something."

He turned to face her and his hair bobbed around his features with the movement. Her hand lifted and her fingers outstretched with the need to touch him to confirm this was real. He didn't move as her fingertips pressed against his chest, he simply watched her and wondered what she was doing. Her lips scrunched and twisted as a myriad of responses floated through her mind. Eventually she repeated his last words, "Without the mask." She waited to see if her glamour had disappeared for him but there was no change to his countenance, no prick of cat ears or widening of eyes. It seemed her glamour was still firmly in place with him.

He nodded, "Yes without the mask. I know how important it is to keep our true identities a secret or in her case my alter ego but it's too hard, tonight I briefly forgot which side of me was on display and I kissed her as Cat Noir. She looked like I'd slapped her across the face with a wet fish."

One corner of Ladybug's mouth curved upward, "Things would seem a little _fishy_."

Cat Noir's brows lowered, "Of all the times to throw me a pun you choose now?"

She lifted her hands as she shrugged, "Sorry."

He sighed and his shoulders sagged, "You're probably the only person who can relate to how awful I feel when I have to make excuses to run after akumas. She must think I'm a complete coward."

She felt like a vice was tightening around her chest. She understood all too well. Now was the time to confess but she couldn't. Fear held her back. In the past, he might have been happy to discover that Ladybug was Marinette but Ladybug had rejected his love and shattered his heart. How could he possibly continue to love Marinette when he discovered the truth? "You're not a coward," inwardly she decided that title belonged to her.

His lips thinned and his voice was quiet, "I tried to tell her months ago who I was. She didn't realise it was the truth because she thought I was joking." He looked up at her with pleading eyes, "I don't want to hide the truth anymore. I want her to know."

Ladybug couldn't stand the intensity of his gaze and looked away, "Do you trust her with your life?"

His shadow fell across her as his fingers caught her chin. He directed her to look him in the eye, "I do."

She tried to conceal the thrill of excitement that shot through her at his declaration. She swallowed and did her best to keep her tone neutral, "If you reveal yourself to her how do you think she will react?"

His fingers dropped from her chin as he considered her words. His brow furrowed and his lips puckered in thought. Sadness touched his eyes, "She'd probably feel used and betrayed." He turned away from Ladybug as he swept both hands through his hair, "I never really thought of it from her point of view." His left hand dropped to his side while his right tightened against his hairline, "I'm an idiot. My visits as Cat Noir should have ended the moment I decided to pursue her out of the mask. I need to fix this."

Before Ladybug could respond he extended his baton and fled. "Wait!" she called as she took off after him. His determination made him fast and it took all her concentration to keep up with him. It didn't take long for her to realise he was heading to her home. She changed her route, knowing the way far better than he did. As he landed on her balcony she dropped from the chimney above blocking his way to the skylight. She held up her hand to ward him off, "You need to think before you act. We've both had a very tiring day. I suggest you go home and sleep on it before you do anything else you may possibly regret."

He closed his eyes briefly and nodded as he stepped back, "You're right. I've done enough stupid for today." He lifted his hand and gently placed it on her forearm, "Thank you."

He missed the quiver of her lip as he turned away, "Anytime and you're not stupid Cat Noir."

He glanced at her over his shoulder, "I appreciate your vote of confidence. Until next time milady."

She watched him vault away and whispered to herself, "It seems I'm the stupid one."

* * *

Marinette sat in her bed with her knees tucked under her chin. A single tear ran down her cheek as she stared blankly ahead. She should have told him but her mind was still trying to meld the two individuals into one. On the surface Adrien and Cat Noir seemed like polar opposites but the more she considered it the more she realised how wrong she really was. Adrien was bound by so many rules and had to uphold a certain image his father deemed fit. The real Adrien was hidden under that mantle of perfection and she should know she bantered with the real Adrien often enough. Cat Noir was his wild side, his rebellion against the stringent rules he was tied down by. Cat Noir was over the top and fancy free, he was the outlet for Adrien to cut loose in a way he could never do normally. Yet it didn't matter which side he presented he had a strong moral compass, a kind heart and the ability to see the good in everyone.

A stab of pain shot through her chest as she thought of the heartbreak she'd caused Cat Noir when she'd rejected him as Ladybug. Her mind raced through the events that had transpired between them. It dawned on her that she had unknowingly broken Adrien's heart that night too. She had rejected Adrien and he had been a mess. He'd had no idea the girl who had picked him up was also the one who had caused the damage. What would he think of her when he learnt that truth?

A raging sea of emotion engulfed Marinette. Tikki stirred from her sleep and tried to calm her down, "I'm sorry Marinette, maybe it would have been better if you'd known the secret identity of your partner."

She sighed, "Probably Tikki but hindsight isn't going to fix anything now."

"Maybe it's time to tell him who you are. He's hurting too you know."

"I understand that Tikki but telling him might make it worse. We've had to continually deceive each other to some degree because we were unaware of the other being a miraculous holder. I wonder how much damage concealing our secret has caused. I do feel a sense of betrayal from him especially when I think of my confession to Cat Noir about my love for Adrien. I was telling Adrien directly and had no clue but at the same time I'm just as bad. He has no idea that he just revealed his true identity to his girlfriend. The same girl who didn't accidently find Cat Noir the night he was rejected. I purposely sort him out to try and reduce the damage I'd done as Ladybug."

Tikki gave her a sympathetic look, "Follow your heart and do what you think is right."

* * *

Adrien groaned as the bright light of morning shone in his face. He rolled over and placed a pillow on his head. Plagg let out a protest as he was flung off his resting place. Adrien peered out and blew a strand of his blonde hair away from his eyes, "Sorry Plagg I thought you were in the cheese box."

"Yeah well I should have stayed there."

One side of Adrien's mouth curved upward, "I'll assume that means my apology has been accepted."

The black kwami huffed as he floated away.

Adrien rolled to his back and hugged the pillow to his chest. He'd been exhausted when he'd arrived home and despite his inner turmoil he'd managed to sleep like the dead. He sat up and ran a hand through his tangled hair and winced as he found a knot. He rolled his shoulders as he stood up and made his way to his desk. His phone was fully charged and he was disappointed to see he had no new messages. Today was his last day to spend some time with his girlfriend before his frenzied week of photoshoots. He quickly got ready to give her an impromptu visit, this time as Adrien.

* * *

Marinette clutched the warm mug of hot chocolate in both hands as she stared blankly out the window. She heard the soft tread of someone coming up the stairs before there was a single knock on the trapdoor. Her mouth dropped open and she had but a moment to relocate her mug to the desk as Adrien climbed up and wrapped her in a fierce hug. Her arms took a moment to lower and enfold him in return. His face burrowed into her loose hair as he murmured, "Good morning Marinette."

She relaxed against him enjoying the closeness, "Good morning Adrien. I get the impression you missed me."

He pulled back to grin at her, "Whatever gave you that impression?"

"The hug to end all other hugs," she smirked.

"Oh that, I suppose that would be a bit of a clue."

She chuckled, "So what brings you here at this ungodly hour?"

"It's 9am," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"As I said ungodly, it's the weekend."

He shrugged, "I've got a surprise for you."

She tensed, "You do?"

He gave her a coy look, dipping his head and gazing at her from under his locks. "If you're not busy I've organised a day out for just the two of us."

She pursed her lips and tapped her chin, "Hmm homework or a day with my handsome boyfriend, what a hard decision."

He placed his hands on his hips, "You better pick me."

She laughed, "Of course I pick you, so what have you got planned?"

He took her hands in his, "We're going on a day trip to my family's holiday villa. It's about an hour's drive."

"Sounds great, when do you want to go?"

"As soon as you're ready."

"Okay I'll just check with my parents."

He gave her a cheeky grin, "Already done, they've said okay."

She chuckled at his enthusiasm, "That's good. How about you hit them up for some goodies for the road trip and I'll get my stuff."

He backed to the trapdoor and saluted her before dropping down to the steps in a very Cat Noir fashion, "As you wish."

Her smile faltered as he disappeared. She quickly rushed to get ready, pulling her hair back into her twin pigtails and throwing on a jacket. She went to her desk and pulled out a fresh piece of paper. She quickly scribbled a note and placed it in an envelope. Before she sealed it, she picked up the poem Cat Noir had written for Ladybug and placed it inside too.

* * *

"Your idea of a villa and mine are clearly very different," Marinette teased as she got out of the car and viewed the two-story building.

Adrien shrugged, "It's how my parents always referred to the place." He grew quiet at that thought. His father rarely visited the villa since the disappearance of his mother. He did his best to push passed the lump in his throat, "We used to come here a lot when I was little. I loved running around the gardens." He took in Marinette's expressions as she admired the place and felt his own heart swell with pride. He was glad they were away from the city, he just hoped there were no akuma attacks while they were away. Poor Ladybug would be on her own.

His driver handed him the large picnic basket and bag of goodies from Marinette's parents. He nudged her with his elbow and gave a nod with his head towards the garden pathway that led around the villa, "There's a really nice spot out back that's begging for a picnic."

She took his arm and they walked together beneath the canopy of lush trees, "It's beautiful here."

"Yeah, I rarely get the opportunity to visit anymore. My father employs a groundskeeper and housekeeper to maintain the place. I don't think he can find it in his heart to sell it."

"I don't blame him."

They stopped in the dappled shade under a large tree and Adrien laid out the blanket. Marinette was impressed as he opened the picnic basket and put together a superb antipasto plate. A comfortable silence fell between them as they ate and took in the scenery. Part of her wished she'd brought her sketch book. Her musings were interrupted as Adrien called her name.

He picked up her hand, "I've been wanting to talk to you about something."

Her pulse sped up and she did her best to keep her tone light, "Oh."

He shuffled closer to her, "Marinette I-I've been keeping something from you, actually I've been keeping it from everybody." His fingers tightened around hers before he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He placed his head on her shoulder. "Please don't be angry when I tell you this and please believe it as true," he looked up and his eyes locked with hers, "I'm Cat Noir."

She stood up and pressed her knuckles to her mouth. He also rose and placed his hands on her arms, "Marinette I know I should have told you sooner but…"

She waved him away, "I know."

He froze and his brow crinkled, "What? How? Why didn't you say something? Was it the kiss last night?"

"The kiss," she said quietly repeating his words thinking about how confused she had been in that moment.

"Was that it?" he asked circling around her to stand before her. His eyes searched her face, she lifted her head and their eyes met.

"Show me," she whispered.

Confusion played over his face for a moment before he understood what she meant. He glanced about to ensure they were alone and took a step back. "Plagg, claws out." The little black kwami swirled from his pocket and was absorbed into the silver ring on his finger, Marinette watched as the ring altered to black and then she saw Adrien morph into Cat Noir.

* * *

 **Sorry to leave you hanging again, I wanted to get something up before I'm back at work. Please allow me to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, I couldn't believe the response. Once again I'll aim to have the next chapter up in a week or so. Cheers and happy new year :)**


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen – Allow passion to sizzle then remove from heat_

Perhaps it had been too bold to ask him to transform but Adrien had done it without hesitation. He had just demonstrated how much he trusted her and she felt completely gobsmacked. He was willingly confiding his biggest secret to Marinette and yet she was still hesitant to share her own. Her eyes travelled over his current form, she was so familiar with this appearance but at the same time seeing him without the glamour made a significant difference. He stood in a typical arrogant Cat Noir pose but she'd also seen Adrien stand in a similar fashion, with his legs apart, one hand on hip while the other hung suspended as if unsure whether to reach for her or not.

His lips were pressed together in a crooked line as if caught between smiling and frowning. Her eyes met his and she was shocked by the vulnerability shining in them. Her mind flashed back to his confession on the Eiffel Tower, he'd worn a similar expression. Was he waiting for her rejection? She gave him a gentle smile, "I'm not about to unleash cataclysm on you, that's your power."

A bitter smile tugged at his lips, "Don't be so certain. You hold my heart and you do have the power to destroy it."

Pain sliced through her chest at his words. She placed her hand on his cheek and he nuzzled into it. She let out a sigh, "You hold the same power over me."

His eyes widened and his hands moved to the small of her back bringing her closer. "I'd never break your heart. It's still me Marinette. I might look and act a bit different but I'm still Adrien too," he declared as he dipped his face to hers. Uncertainty was evident in his eyes as his lips hovered near hers. She realised he wanted to kiss her but wasn't sure if he was allowed to. Her fingers hooked around his collar and brought his mouth to hers. She lost herself in the moment, determined to remedy her previous mistake in breaking his heart.

She pulled away to catch her breath, "You know if Alya finds out I'm dating Cat Noir I'm never going to hear the end of it."

A relieved smiled spread across his face. "Well we better keep that secret between us. She'd think you were two timing Adrien," he winked.

Her eyes lifted to his before darting away, "It is a little embarrassing to find out that I actually confessed my feelings to the guy I like without even knowing it."

He ducked his head, "I'm sorry about that, well actually I'm not. Marinette when you told me about your feelings it blew me away. It wasn't a conventional way of finding out but before that I didn't have any clue. I knew you were nervous around me as Adrien but I didn't know why. You sent so many mixed signals I assumed you wanted to get away from me. It seemed like the only way I could help you to get around that was to guide you as my alter ego."

She looked at him for a long moment. He was right she'd always found it easier to talk to Cat Noir. "So, you were cool with my ginormous crush?" her free hand lifted to stroked his cheek and his breath hitched as he leant into her touch.

"I think the answer to that is pretty obvious." He gave her a cautious smile, "I want to know what you think about this," he said dipping his chin to gesture to his costume.

She looked up at him through her lashes, "Hmm skin tight black leather that leaves very little to the imagination, I think I'm okay with that."

His cheeks turned pink, "It's not that tight, is it?"

She cocked her head to the side as she eyed him, "Let's just say it accentuates all the right places." She laid the palms of her hands on his shoulders sliding them out to his deltoids. "I like here," she ran her hands down to his chest and dropped them under his arms to place them on his back caressing her way down, "and here. There's something utterly scrumptious about the lines of your back."

His look was heated as his eyes lowered to her lips. His voice had dropped an octave as he asked, "Anywhere else?"

Her hands stopped as they collided with his baton, "Oh I might like things further south too."

His nostrils flared, "Have you got your hands on my stick?"

She laughed, "I think that's wishful thinking on your part."

He blushed harder as he shrugged, "You've got your hands all over me while telling me how attractive you find me. I think my mind is permitted to wander to such thoughts."

She snatched his baton and lifted it into his view, "Oh look I am holding your stick."

"Bad girl," he rumbled as he drew her in.

She grinned up at him, "So what are you going to do about it?"

He lowered his face and ran the side of his nose along hers, "I thought that would be obvious. I'm going to make out with you for as long as you'll let me." She began to reply but his mouth covered hers, stealing away her words. This time she became more passionate as she wanted to show him just how much he meant to her. She was so caught up in kissing him that she barely noticed that he was guiding her backward until she was pressed against the bark of the tree trunk. His hands latched onto her thighs and he lifted her higher, her legs wrapped around his hips as his mouth trailed down her jaw. She raised her head giving him better access to her throat as he kissed his way down to her shoulder.

She closed her eyes and shifted her right hand into his hair, she found his real ear and nipped the lobe gently and heard him moan. He lifted his face from her shoulder and his eyes searched hers, "You're too good to be true. I feel like the alarm clock is going to go off any minute now and take me away from this dream."

She was flattered but at the same time embarrassed. She hadn't come clean with him yet. He nosed her cheek and she looked up at him as he continued to hold her pinned against the tree. "It's not a dream," she confirmed.

He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and sighed, "Best day ever."

She chuckled but was quickly silenced as his mouth covered hers once again. His kisses became more ardent and hungry. His hands squeezed her thighs as he began to move against her in rhythm to his kisses. She clung to him even tighter wanting to be closer to him as she returned his fervour. He eventually pulled away, panting as his forehead rested against hers, "Is it wrong to say I want more?"

Her fingers trailed down his cheek. She was fully aware of just how aroused he was but now was not the time or place for taking things further. "No, it's not but I think it's too soon."

He let out a heavy breath as his eyes twinkled with amusement, "Damn the voice of reason."

She smiled, "Beside I don't think it's actually possible to pry you out of your cat suit."

He cocked his head while raising a masked eyebrow, "So you've considered getting me out of it."

She rolled her eyes and giggled, "Maybe."

A wicked gleam shone in his eyes and he caught her hand on his cheek and placed it over his bell, "Let me show you something." His fingers clamped over hers and he drew their hands down together. She was shocked to hear his zipper opening.

She sat back, "What the heck?"

He smirked, "That zip isn't just for looks, it's fully functional." He moved his face closer to hers, "Go on look down and see for yourself."

Against her better judgement she did. His hand still firmly held hers around his bell that now sat at his navel. Her eyes shot back to his, "You're incorrigible."

He shrugged, "Yeah but I couldn't resist."

She momentarily considered stroking her hand along the exposed skin of his chest but decided that would lead down a path she wasn't ready to take just yet. Instead she lifted the bell back to its place at the base of his throat. "You're right it is fully functional," she said giving him a cheeky smile.

"Now that's established feel free to pull on my bell anytime you like," he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

She shook her head, "I'm never going to be able to look at your costume the same way."

His grin widened, "That was the idea."

She handed him his baton, "You better transform back before someone sees you."

He shrugged, "Okay. Plagg, claws in."

The black kwami gave a snort of disgust as he observed his holder still clutching Marinette against the tree. "Ew gross," he muttered as he disappeared into the picnic basket.

Marinette laughed, "He didn't seem very impressed."

Adrien smiled, "Plagg likes to complain about most things."

There was a muffled, "Do not," from the basket.

He gently lowered Marinette's legs to the ground, "I hope my kwami doesn't freak you out. He's the one that grants me my powers."

Her lips pressed together as she nodded. It was the perfect opportunity to tell him but she still couldn't do it. Her eyes snapped up as his fingers caressed her cheek, "You're taking this pretty well."

She opened her mouth, "Uh…"

He took her hand and pressed it to his lips, "So it was the kiss that gave me away?"

Her teeth clenched as she watched the faint blush spread across his cheeks, "Um kind of."

"I was so tired and I forgot I was Cat Noir at the time. I just wanted to kiss my beautiful girlfriend." His fingers squeezed hers, "It's such a relief to have someone know the truth. I always felt awful having to run off as soon as an akuma attacked. You must have thought I was a real jerk leaving like I did."

"Well uh…"

"It's okay you don't need to say anything," he said pulling her into his arms. He rested his chin on the top of her head, "It's got to be a lot to process. I understand if you want to think about it." Her fingers twisted into the material of his shirt as she gave a single nod. He had no idea just how much was going on in her mind.

* * *

The perfect opportunity to reveal herself had been right there and she'd left it. As she sat snuggled up beside Adrien on the drive home she was mentally kicking herself. She should have told him. Dragging it out was only going to make things worse but at the same time she didn't want to ruin this day together. She could only image how awkward the drive home would have been if she'd told him about her own alter ego.

She glanced down at the movement beneath Adrien's shirt. Plagg stuck out his head and gave her a questioning look. Clearly the kwami knew the truth. She gave him an awkward smile and raised her hand. Adrien picked up her extended hand and laced his fingers though hers, "I hope you had a great time."

As she looked out the window she realised they were almost back to her home. "Yeah it was fantastic," she beamed.

"Maybe we can do it again another day," he kissed her knuckles as he looked at her suggestively, "Perhaps we could stay for a weekend sometime."

She pulled her hand away, "Maybe but not for a while."

"Well the offer is on the table anytime. Just say the word and I'll organise it when you're ready."

She shook her head, "You're one smooth operator Adrien Agreste."

He dropped back to lean on the headrest, "Only for you Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He pressed a kiss to her neck just below her ear and she shivered. "No pressure," he whispered then proceeded to run his tongue around the shell of her ear.

She pushed him away. "Yeah right," she chuckled.

He shrugged, "Isn't there an analogy: he's the accelerator and she's the brake."

"Sounds about right," she smirked.

At that moment, they pulled up beside the bakery. He walked her to the door and pulled her into a hug, "I wish I could stay."

"Me too, alas homework beckons."

He groaned, "Yeah I know. It really sucks that I'm not going to see you this week."

"I couldn't agree more," she bit her lip as she looked down at her bag. It was time to stop stalling. She pulled out the envelope and handed it to him, "Open this when you get home."

He gave her a puzzled looked, "Okay. Any reason why I can't open it now?"

"Because now isn't the place to do it," she said cryptically.

He raised a brow, "You do know curiosity killed the cat."

"Ah but satisfaction brought it back," she countered.

"I like the way you think," he said as he leant down for a kiss, "Good night princess."

* * *

Adrien sat staring at the envelope in his hand for the entire drive home. He was curious as to what lay inside. His fingers had probed at the contents and he was sure it was a note of some kind. He just wondered what it was that Marinette had written rather than said.

When he arrived home he quickly greeted his father and Nathalie before racing to his bedroom. With the door shut behind him he opened the envelop at his desk. Two pieces of paper were inside and as he unfolded the first one his mouth dropped open.

* * *

 **Wow this chapter had a lot of rewrites, I hope you enjoyed the final product. We're so close to Ladybug's reveal now... stay tuned :)**


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen – Dish out and reveal_

Adrien sat staring at the piece of paper before him. A piece of paper with his own handwriting scrawled across it. A piece of paper he thought was lost to the wind and yet here it sat in his hand given to him by his girlfriend. It was the poem he'd written for Ladybug, the one he'd read to her after the Jagged Stone concert, the one he'd thrown away when his heart had been shattered. Why did Marinette have it and why had she given it to him? He stared at it hard and tried to ignore the pain shooting through his chest. The poem shouldn't matter anymore and yet it did. He loved Marinette and as much as he tried to deny it a part of him still loved Ladybug too. He ran an agitated hand through his hair and looked to the ceiling. He closed his eyes and slowed down his breathing.

"There's another note," Plagg pointed out.

Adrien opened his eyes and glared at the envelope. He wasn't sure if he wanted the rest of the contents or not. His hand trembled slightly as reached for the second piece of paper. _I need to tell you something. Meet me for patrol tonight. LB._ He lowered the paper with heavy hands. "She knows," he whispered hoarsely.

Plagg eyed him sceptically, "Knows what?"

"That it's Marinette that I've been seeing."

"Why do you think that?"

"She knew she could get this message to Cat Noir via Marinette."

Plagg shrugged, "Guess you'll have to see her to find out."

* * *

Ladybug was standing at the edge of the flat rooftop and her back was turned to Cat Noir as he landed gracefully. He tried to ignore the nervous butterflies in his stomach and as she turned to face him he froze, she looked so uncertain he wondered what on earth could be wrong. "You wanted to see me," he said quietly.

Her arms were crossed tightly and her fingers were digging into her own upper arms. "I know who you are," she said as her eyes flit between him and her toes. He opened his mouth to respond but she lifted her hand to silence him. "You also know who I am."

His brow furrowed, "No milady, you're mistaken I don't know your identity."

Her eyes lifted to his, "We spent the day together."

Confusion knit his brow and slowly it released as he looked at her, "Marinette?" At her nod, there was a faint shimmer and his throat tightened. He couldn't explain what was different but suddenly Ladybug seemed to be in sharp focus, he could clearly see it was Marinette behind the mask and he wondered why his brain was only making the connection now. He took a deep breath and caught her scent and his nostrils flared as he discovered even that had changed. Ladybug's elusive fragrance that had tantalised him for so long was now easily distinguishable as Marinette's scent. His lady was his girlfriend and he couldn't be more confused. He was so addled that it took him a moment to realise she was talking to him.

"I wanted to tell you today but I…" she wrung her hands as she searched for the right words.

Cat Noir's mind was racing as he put the pieces together. It explained her minimal reaction to his kwami. She wasn't freaked out because she had one of her own. He realised that she'd never really answered him that afternoon when he'd asked how she'd discovered his identity. His voice was flat as he spoke and his tail twitched, "When did you know?"

"As in who you really are?"

He gave a sharp nod as his frown deepened.

She swallowed, "When you came to me saying you wanted to reveal your identity to Marinette…me."

His jaw clenched and his fist balled, "Why didn't you say something? Why wait until now? We spent the whole day together alone. I told you. I even transformed in front of you and you said nothing. You didn't transform." Hurt filled his eyes as he stormed towards her and she heard his voice crack, "Is this all a game to you?"

Her body stiffened, "No it's not a game. I hurt you badly before and I didn't want to do it again. I wanted to tell you but I was scared that I'd just hurt you even more."

"And you thought this would be better? You've never wanted us to reveal our identities but I did it anyway." He glared at her, "I hated that I was deceiving the person that I love and it turns out you were doing the exact same thing to me. I thought you hated liars."

"I do hate liars, I never wanted to be one. Being a miraculous holder seems to entail some deception in order to protect our own identities. I didn't know what to do when I discovered yours."

"You should have told me there and then. In all honesty things would have been a lot easier from the beginning if we'd known. Man, I should have opened that door after Lady Wifi."

She looked away from him, "I'm sorry but we know now."

"Yeah and you held that over me," he turned away from her sucking in his lip as he ran both his hands through his hair.

"I never meant to I was in shock when I first realised. Your glamour vanished and it was so painfully obvious who was under the mask I didn't know what to think."

He let out a heavy breath, "Your glamour has disappeared for me too. I think I can understand your confusion but that doesn't make up for holding out on me." He straightened up and eyed her sideways, "I bet you were disappointed."

"How could you think that? I love you."

"No, you love Adrien."

"But you are Adrien."

His lips pursed, "Adrien is a puppet. My strings are pulled by my father. I need to conform, I need to succeed or I'm nothing. I can't be myself. When I'm Cat Noir there are no strings. I can be me and you don't want that part of me."

"You're wrong. You have every right to be angry. I know I felt angry and betrayed when you inadvertently told me who you were and what you'd been doing."

"Why did you give me the poem, did you want to rub it in?"

"No. I wanted to tell you, to let you know that I feel the same for you. That I was an idiot for pushing you away when you gave that to me."

"You told me your heart belonged to someone else. Was that a lie too or is there someone else?"

"I was in love with your alter ego and I didn't know it."

He gave a bitter laugh, "Rejected for myself. Wow that's rich."

"I thought I was being faithful."

"Faithful," he spat as he rounded on her, "How could you be faithful? We weren't in a relationship. Hell, you could barely speak to me out of the mask and I certainly wasn't interested in you that way then."

She shrank back from him, "I-I…"

"I pursued both sides of you and you only wanted one side of me," his eyes searched her face. "The worst thing is you wanted the false side of me. The guy standing in front of you now with the mask on is the free side, the side who can be himself and you chose the side that's fake."

"B-but I fell in love with all of you."

His jaw clenched and his cat ears flattened back against his head, "Do you really think so? You were so fixated on the Adrien side of me that I wonder if you've really looked at this side of me. Your love was always directed at the side of me that was a perfect shell. You couldn't even speak to me because you were so flabbergasted by my pretty face. You claimed to love me for what was on the inside, if that was the case why were your walls covered in pictures of me? I think you really only wanted the outside. Which side of me did you really connect with? Which side were you comfortable with? I know it's the side you banter with, the one that got you beyond your stammering. When I started acting like Cat Noir when I was out of the mask you were able to speak to me. Doesn't that tell you something? Hell, the first time I kissed you I was Cat Noir and you responded to me, the real me but I backed off because you wanted me to." He paused as he looked at her and some of his anger left him, "That leaves another question, do I even know the real you?"

Ladybug's hands were shaking and a tear rolled from her lashes, "Yes you do. I was just terrified that you wouldn't like all of me. You held Ladybug on a high pedestal for so long that I never wanted to consider Cat Noir as anything but a friend. I wanted to deny how attracted I was to you because I thought I wanted Adrien but you were constantly in my thoughts too."

He pressed the palm of his hand to the bridge of his nose and he closed his eyes, "I don't know what to think anymore."

She moved toward him and cautiously laid a hand on his forearm, "You don't have to know what to do right now. I needed time to think. It's why I held back. I didn't want to ruin our day together. I knew telling you would."

"Why would you think that? I would have been shocked but at least I would have felt like you really cared. That you were being as open with me as I was with you. Today was the first time you let me kiss you as Cat Noir and you didn't pull away. I kissed you twice as Cat Noir before you knew and you couldn't get away from me fast enough."

"I was confused," she said trailing after him.

His face dipped and his profile was obscured by his hair, "Maybe you were but it's pretty clear that you don't really love me. You love an illusion." His thumb shifted on his baton and it extended. "Maybe it's best if we go back to being friends." He didn't miss her gasp and he frowned as he saw the hurt in her eyes. "Maybe you were never really meant to be my lady."

Ladybug was rooted to the spot. Her breathing was shallow and fast as she watched the affection drain from Cat Noir's eyes. Her chest ached so badly she didn't want to breathe anymore. Her hand lifted and her fingers splayed as she reached for him, "That's not true, I am your lady."

He shook his head and backed away, "You never wanted me the way I wanted you. You've always pushed me away."

"That's because I thought you were just a big flirt."

He snorted, "I see."

"You flirt with everyone."

He leant on the end of his staff, "That's where you're wrong. I flirt with you and I show off for you, basically I've done everything I could think of to get your attention. If I flirted with anyone else it was unintentional or because I thought I'd get some reaction from you. But it didn't work so I moved on."

Her shoulders sagged, "Oh."

He sighed and walked over to her. He lifted his free hand to stroke her cheek, "I fell in love with you from the beginning but it wasn't enough." He dropped his head and pressed his forehead to hers, "I wish it was though."

Her hands reached up to capture his face, "It is enough. I was just too blind to see it."

His face dipped towards hers then he backed off as he shook his head, "I don't know what to think."

"I felt that way too when I found out who you really are. I needed time to process everything. You probably need that too."

He nodded as he stepped back, "Maybe you're right." He paused to look at the paw print on his staff, "Why did you keep the poem?"

"Because it was from you."

He looked up at her and his tail thrashed, "So you kept it out of pity."

She shook her head, "No I-"

"Stop telling me what you think I want to hear. I'm not a fool. You made it very clear that day that you were not interested in me." Dawning spread across his features and mingled with pain in his eyes, "Wait you came after me and found me as Marinette. You took me in but you knew. You did pity me. Hell, you even questioned me why I was upset and you knew," he backed away from her with a look of utter disgust. "You have been toying with me. You didn't know who I really was but you strung me along. I thought you cared. I don't know you Ladybug. I don't know you at all."

She didn't know what to say. The hurt and betrayal in his eyes was killing her. She opened her mouth but there were no words. He continued to stare at her as if he wanted her to protest but she didn't know how to fix this. 'I'm sorry' just didn't seem enough. "You wouldn't talk to me," she eventually croaked.

"No, I wouldn't nor do I want to now. I think enough has been said Ladybug. You're late for patrol and I need to go home because I fly out tomorrow."

"We can't leave things like this."

He turned away from her but looked at her over his shoulder, "It's not fun having your heart broken is it LB."

Her chin quivered as her tears broke free from her lashes and streamed down her face, "Cat Noir don't go."

"We can't always have what we want," he said as he extended his baton and left her behind.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I seriously lost enthusiasm after receiving a very negative guest review/essay on this story. Pretty much killed my motivation. But all is not lost. I got to pour some of my negative emotions into this chapter. On the positive side I was very stoked to get 100 favourites, thank you so much for the support. This isn't the last recipe step, it ain't over yet!**


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen – Allow time to cool before serving_

Cat Noir dropped through the window and slumped to the floor of his bedroom. His whole body shook and his hands trembled as he raised them to cradled his face in attempt to stifle the sobs that were ripping from his throat. There was so much pain and it was crushing him. "I'm… not… meant… to… be… loved," he gasped between shuddering breaths. He didn't want to transform. He didn't want to hear Plagg's scathing voice. He didn't want to go to his father. He wanted his mother and she was gone. He wanted to be held and comforted the way Marinette had done before. At the thought of her he snarled and pushed himself away from the wall. He wrapped his arms around himself as he paced. "She doesn't care," he muttered to himself over and over.

But deep down he knew it wasn't true. He slapped his hand against the foosball table handles as he passed and listened to the rods spin. His clawed hands clenched as his head dropped. Tears streamed down his masked nose and dripped on the floor. He wiped his face with the back of his arm and sat at his computer desk. He bumped the mouse and the screen displayed the youthful picture of his mother. "I wish you were here," he whispered, "You're the only one who could love me." He glanced over at the magazine on his desk. A suave image of himself stared back at him from the cover. He picked it up with one hand and shredded it with the claws on the other. "Fake," he growled at the paper as it fluttered to the floor.

* * *

Ladybug went through the motions of patrol. She frequently blinked away the tears that clouded her vision as she swang across the rooftops trying to ignore the dead feeling inside her chest. At some point, she veered off her usual course and found herself on the opposite rooftop to the Agreste mansion. The lights were on in his room and she had to bite her lip to quieten the sob which threated to escape her. He hadn't transformed, he sat hunched over his computer desk with his hands buried in his hair just below his cat ears which drooped while his tail continued to whip around in agitation.

She wanted to go to him but she was certain he'd only push her away. As if to confirm her theory he suddenly stood, his clawed hand open to slash across a poster of her as he prowled into his bathroom. Her throat constricted and her fisted hands trembled. She had to remind herself that he was probably hurting even more than she was. With a deep breath, she cautiously swung to his building and propped herself close to his bathroom window. She heard the tell-tale sound of the shower and repositioned herself to drop through his bedroom window.

She eyed the room warily as she stepped forward and jumped as Plagg phased through the bathroom door. His eyes widened in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on him but I know he doesn't want to see me," she said as she glanced the slashed poster.

"I've never seen him like this. It's probably better if you leave him alone for now."

She nodded, "I wanted to leave something for him regardless of how angry he is, I want him to know I'm thinking of him." She transformed quickly then reached into her purse taking one of the biscuits she had saved for Tikki and placed it on his pillow. It was the same flavour as the one she'd shoved in his mouth during their banter months before and from that teasing they'd shared their first kiss. She hoped he wouldn't throw it away.

Plagg gave an approving nod, "Thanks bug."

* * *

Adrien lifted his face into the steaming water and let it wash over him. His eyes were closed as he stood there focussing on the sensation of the water running over his body in attempt to calm his mind. His hands reached out to touch the cool tiles on the wall and he shifted his head out of the water to lean on it as well. He wasn't crying anymore, nor did his breathing hitch with every intake but he felt numb inside. For the hundredth time, he wondered how a day that had started out so amazing had turned to total crap. His eyebrows lowered and twitched over his closed eyes as the memory of kissing Marinette played through his mind. Everything had felt so right.

His fingers skimmed lower and the coarse grout between the tiles grazed his skin. The sensation was such a contrast to the feeling of holding her. He scrunched his eyelids tighter as his hands twisted to fists and he thumped the wall in frustration. He flinched at the pain while every instinct within him screamed that it wasn't meant to be this way. She was trying to open up to him and he'd shut her down. She had said she was terrified at how he'd react and he had justified that fear.

He turned off the shower and concentrated on the droplets falling from his hair. He snatched up his towel and dried himself. As he threw the towel over his head to tousle his hair dry he froze as another memory haunted him. He pulled the towel away and stared at his own face in the mirror. Cat Noir had asked, ' _Can I come in?'_ Her voice echoed in his ears, ' _Okay but don't wet my bed.'_ His lips quivered into a haphazard smile which faded as quickly as it appeared. "I should have stayed out in the rain," he whispered to himself.

"Kid, you should have taken her advice and left her alone to think it over."

Adrien's head snapped around and his eyes narrowed at his black kwami, "Go shove some more cheese in your mouth Plagg. It's what you do best."

Plagg cross his arms and huffed, "As unbelievable as it sounds I'm actually full after devouring as much camembert as possible while you were drowning yourself in here. You do realise she was trying to make things right."

Adrien threw on a pair of turquoise boxers shorts and left the bathroom while his kwami followed. He moved to the bed and paused, "Plagg are you messing with me?"

"Huh?" he said as he floated over Adrien's shoulder. "Oh, she left that while you were in the shower."

He refused to turn and look out the window. If she was there he didn't want to see her. He continued to study the biscuit instead. Eventually he picked it up. It was close enough for him to catch the scent and his stomach rumbled in recognition. ' _Be still my heart she has snacks._ ' He sighed and placed the biscuit on his desk where it lay beneath the monitor displaying the picture of his mother.

* * *

Adrien woke up hugging his pillow. He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes as Nathalie strolled in to get his lazy butt out of bed. She prattled on about his schedule for the day and the only comment to trigger a response from him was the mention of Chloe coming to visit him prior to their departure for the airport. "What? Why is she coming over?"

"She said she wanted to catch up with you before you left."

That got him moving, he had no intention of letting his childhood friend arrive to catch him in only his boxers. A shudder ran through him at the thought. With Nathalie's departure, he moved like an automation. His actions were methodical and without emotion. He was completely drained. At a glance, he looked like his usual self but it was his eyes that gave away his inner pain. They lacked their usual expressiveness and this was highlighted further by the purple shadows underscoring them.

He knew the instant Chloe arrived. Her enthusiastic screech echoed through the mansion. He was almost to his bedroom door when it was thrown open and Chloe launched herself at him with as much grace as a pelican flying into a power pole. Her arms possessively encircled him and that was generally his cue to pull away but this time he didn't. All night he'd longed for someone to hold him and Chloe was more than willing. He felt himself leaning into her, his face dropped to her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. "Adrikins?" she gasped in surprise, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head against her shoulder but didn't say anything. He felt her hand shift into his hair and he grimaced as her fake nails caught in his locks. "Sorry," she murmured as she gently untangled her fingers and shifted them to his back. "What's wrong?" she asked with a softness to her voice he hadn't heard in years.

He hesitated in answering, he didn't want to tell her he'd had a fight with Marinette. He knew that she'd get too much satisfaction in knowing that things were not going smoothly with his girlfriend. Instead he mumbled, "Nothing," into her ponytail that was caught between his face and her shoulder.

She was quiet for a moment, "Are you missing your Mum?"

He stiffened in her arms. It was the one pain they both shared and understood. The prominent maternal figure was missing in both of their lives and it was the common thread that had held them together for so long. It was the reason he tolerated her bad behaviour. It was why he ignored the copious amounts of perfume she wore. She lathered herself in it because it was the fragrance her mother wore and it was her way of keeping that memory alive.

He realised he hadn't given her an answer so he simply nodded his head against her shoulder. He relaxed as her hand gently rubbed his back. He settled into the crook of her neck and sighed. But then her hand strayed to the waist of his jeans and he jumped as her fingers brushed the skin at his hip. He pushed her away and backed up. "Chloe," he growled with disapproval.

She shrugged, "Temptation got the better of me."

* * *

Marinette groaned as sunlight shone in her eyes from the skylight. She pulled the sheet over her face but it did little to help. Her eyes felt gritty after shedding so many tears and she longed for the comfort of sleep. Her fingers dug into the closest pillow to shove over her face. With slitted eyes, she sighed as she realised she'd grabbed her cat pillow and she hugged it tightly to her chest. Her eyes skimmed to the pictures on her corkboard. It was like he said there were no images of Cat Noir only Adrien. Her fingers lifted to trace Adrien's jawline on the magazine clipping. It wasn't even a photo that she'd taken of him. She pulled her hand back, "He's right."

"He was angry," Tikki countered.

"That doesn't mean there wasn't truth in his words. I have been completely fixated on Adrien yet it was Cat Noir that I made the connection with." She pulled the pin from the clipping and removed the picture from the board.

"You weren't to know that they were the same person."

Marinette sat up and held her knees to her chest, "But I should have figured it out. Magic might have stopped me from identifying him by sight but my heart should have recognised his."

Tikki hovered to sit on Marinette's knee, "Miraculous glamour is very powerful. It's what keeps your identity safe from those who would use it against you. Imagine if Hawkmoth had been Adrien's father. How dangerous would it be if he could identify Cat Noir so easily? Your partner would be compromised and you'd be on your own or potentially fighting against him."

Marinette massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers, "I hadn't thought of it that way."

"I doubt he has either, he wouldn't want to. Perhaps it would have been better if you'd both know each other's identity but we can't change the past. He needs time to think things through like you did. Don't give up on him, stay strong and be there for him when he cools off."

Marinette nodded, "Okay Tikki I will."

* * *

Adrien had always enjoyed flying due primarily to the power of take-off and the thrill of landing. Today it was different. He sat staring out the small window and tried to ignore the press of his father's elbow against his own. Gabriel was busy tapping away at his tablet with his usual dismissive scowl upon his face. Adrien wasn't sure how the man was taking up so much of his personal space given they were flying on a private jet.

Their trip was centred around fashion week in Milan. Adrien would have a brief number of runs on the catwalk before being whisked away for a variety of photoshoots. His sour demeanour was lost on his father who's only comment was his displeasure at Adrien's haggard appearance. He eyed the entourage of stylists and staff that were also on board and sighed. With a shake of his head he adjusted his headphones and sank deeper in his seat as he turned up his music.

* * *

Despite her resolve there was an Adrien shaped hole in Marinette's school days and a Cat Noir shaped hole in Ladybug's nights. The week seemed to drag as much as her mood. She tried not to focus on the empty seat in front of her at class or the constant complaints from Chloe at his absence. She'd told Alya that they'd had a fight but didn't dare discuss the details. He hadn't officially broken up with her but she wasn't sure if he wanted to continue their relationship.

All of the patrolling had fallen to Ladybug that week but it was surprisingly quiet. Hawkmoth's attacks had been increasing up to this point but now he too was strangely quiet. If she didn't know better she would have assumed that Gabriel Agreste truly was Hawkmoth. As she returned home she considered calling Adrien but she didn't know what to say. Texting and emailing seemed too impersonal but maybe that was the best way to break the tension. She stared at the black screen as she contemplated waking up her phone. After a long internal debate, she opened her message screen and typed, _I miss you_. Her thumb hovered over the send button before pressing it hard. She stared at the phone until it indicated that the message had been read.

* * *

Adrien was tired. Long days mixed between the catwalk and photoshoots teamed with poor sleep meant that the model was not looking his best. He required extra make up and additional incentive to pose which raised the cold ire of his father. He'd been ordered to bed early but he knew he wouldn't sleep well. His own rage had faded and he was left with remorse. He kept picturing Ladybug's face as he'd growled at her. In reality, she hadn't done anything worse than he had but he'd been so angry. He'd opened himself fully to her and had been hurt when he realised she'd been holding back. Then he'd lashed out with all the pent-up anger he'd been holding in from years of frustration at his father.

He punched his pillow as he glared at the wall. Adrien was a pro at bottling his feelings. He sometimes channelled them into his modelling and into his fighting as Cat Noir. But the bottle had been teetering to the brim, Ladybug's confession had pushed it to bursting and he'd been swept up in a tirade that wasn't solely aimed at her. He'd been hurt so many times by his father who was supposed to love him that he didn't know how to express his negative emotions. He'd always buried those feelings away. Fear had set in when he considered the potential consequences of letting them out and he'd become concerned that he was a prime target for an akuma. Plagg had laughed at his query and then reassured him that a miraculous holder couldn't be akumatised. That was certainly a bonus, the idea of being akumatised and fighting Ladybug chilled him to the bone.

He rolled onto his back and sighed. As the days had busily passed he'd had time to reflect. His temper had simmered to regret. She might have known more than she was letting on but she had been there for him when he needed her the most. He had to apologise to her but he wanted to do it face to face. The desire to see her was growing more intense with each passing day. Things were not meant to be this way between them. They needed to talk. He was glad he only had one more day of modelling before flying home.

His phone pinged and he reached over to the side table to grab it. His eyes widened and he scrambled to unlock his phone. _I miss you_ , she'd written and his heart thundered. He sat staring at those three words and a smile slowly crept across his face. He held his phone to his heart and closed his eyes. He tossed around the idea of calling her. If he were home he would have transformed and gone directly to her. He lifted the phone and wrote back. _I'm sorry for how I reacted. I miss you too. I want to see you when I get back so we can talk this through._

She wrote back almost instantly, _I'd like that. When do you get back?_

He smiled, _Late tomorrow afternoon. If you leave your skylight unlocked you could get an evening visit from the local alley cat._

She responded, _Sounds purrfect._ He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

* * *

 **I just have to say you people are awesome. The support you've given me throughout this story is amazing. You inspired me to get this chapter up in record time and it's a longer one too. That being said there's only one more recipe step left (unless we move onto dessert). So I'm off to work on the final chapter... stay beautiful ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen – Consume and savour_

Adrien's foot tapped to the beat of the music as he waited for his cue. He ignored the hands fussing over his hair and tweaking his clothing. His mind was on Marinette as he knew she'd be watching today. Heck she'd probably watched him over the last week but he hadn't considered that at the time. While he couldn't see her, he wanted to show her that he knew she was watching. With a deep breath, he lifted his hand and shooed away the people around him. It was time.

He stepped onto the catwalk with a practiced stance of indifference. Cameras flashed as he waited for his counterpart to stride passed him and then he moved. He tilted his chin down and turned his face slightly so his hair fell across his eyes. His hands went to his pockets as he walked forward with the grace of his alter ego. His movements were exaggerated as he flexed his shoulders and took on the powerful gait of a predator. As he reached the end of the platform he stopped and shifted to emphasis his left side. He lifted his chin as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, then he threw his head back and did the hair toss that drove Marinette wild. As his locks fell back into place he winked and mouthed the words, "For my lady."

* * *

Marinette was glued to the screen. Gone was the haggard and depressed looking Adrien Agreste he'd been replaced by a version with such raw sex appeal she was ready to fall off her chair. There was a new vibrancy to him as he made his final appearance on the catwalk. His look was described by the media as bold and edgy. His gait and posture exuded self-assurance but more noticeably was the determination radiating from his eyes. His usual confidence was back in place and the crowd was lapping it up. He shot them a crooked smile and her heart was pounding hard when he stopped to do his hair flick to the point that she almost missed the movement of his lips. Her eyes widened as her brain registered what he was saying and what it meant. He was showing off for her alone, flaunting his wild side without the mask. Then he winked before he turned and sauntered his way back. Adrien had gotten his mojo back and the camera loved him for it.

She picked up her phone and sent him a text. _You're making it difficult to concentrate on the clothes._

His response came ten minutes later. _I can be very distracting. How's this?_ She grinned at his selfie. He'd made sure to get a head to toe picture so she could view the suit he wore as he gave her a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up.

 _You're such a dork._ She sent back as she tried to dismiss how much she was salivating.

 _Yeah but I'm your devilishly handsome dork._

 _You forgot to add modest to that description._

 _But that goes without saying. I'm getting the evil eye from my father. Apparently I must go and bask in the adoration of my fans *sigh*_

She laughed at that and quickly replied. _I'll leave you to it but it better be hands off adoration._

 _Getting paw-sessive are we?_

 _You wish._

 _OMG you're psychic._

She smirked as she replied. _Not always but I sense you need to put your phone away before your father takes it from you._

 _Right again. Bye._

Adrien felt the weight of guilt and worry begin to lift from his shoulders. While he hadn't spoken directly to Marinette having her reach out to him was the start of mending the rift that had come between them. It was a little disappointing that his last answer had to be so brief but he didn't want to get another withering glare from his father.

When he'd first stepped backstage his father had pushed through the throng of people and sent him a nod of encouragement. That was about the best compliment he could get from him these days. Adrien gave a nod in return while various hands shot out to pull the jacket from his shoulders, adjust his collar and rearrange his hair. Now all that was left was a photoshoot. He couldn't wait to get home.

* * *

Marinette did her best to keep herself occupied for the rest of the day. She'd managed to finish her homework, help out in the bakery and call Alya to discuss how hot Adrien had looked. Tikki was taking the opportunity to sleep. Hawkmoth had been amazingly quiet so they assumed he'd strike sooner rather than later. Feeling restless Marinette found herself in front of the computer again unable to resist replaying that last clip of Adrien over and over again.

She had been following the media coverage on the fashion show, not only for tips but mostly to see him and today he had looked amazing. The haunted and brooding Adrien had vanished to be replaced by the suave Adrien who had originally captured her attention. There was an easiness to his smile. It was a smile that carried over to his alter ego but it was something more when Cat Noir flashed it, there was genuine pleasure at being free of his constraints and she was only realising that now.

His home life was cold and lacked affection. It was no wonder he was determined to find love beyond his family. By all appearances Adrien seemed to live a rich boy's dream but the reality was far from it. Perhaps it had been better when his mother was around but Marinette would never know unless he told her. She wanted to win back his trust, she wanted to know his inner thoughts and dreams. She wanted to share her own with him in return. Her phone pinged and as she looked at it she smiled. He'd sent her another text, _Getting on the plane now. See you soon._

* * *

It had taken very little encouragement from Marinette to convince Sabine and Tom to go out on a date night. As the sun sank below the clouds she stood on the balcony waiting for him. "Come inside it's too cold," Tikki called as Marinette pulled her woollen wrap tightly around her frame. She gave a resigned nod and climbed down to her bed. She had just closed the skylight when she heard a thud. She lifted her head and there was Cat Noir smiling at her with uncertainty. She waved for him to come in. He lifted the hatch with tentative hands and slid down with more caution that he ever had before.

His cat ears twitched as he eyed her. "Hi," he said as he swallowed.

"Hi," she said in return feeling equally nervous.

He picked up his tail and began fiddling with the end, then he eyed her and suddenly pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry," he murmured into her hair. He let out a heavy breath, "Geez this is awkward. I had it all planned out in my head. Where do I begin? The poem probably wasn't a good way to approach me-"

Marinette placed her fingers on his lips, "No it wasn't. The more I thought about it the more I realised how insensitive I'd been. I didn't think about how it would make you feel to see it again. I just wanted to show you that it was important to me and that I had kept it even after you threw it away." She saw the understanding in his eyes and continued, "I've never had a lot of confidence in myself. I don't think I ever told you that I considered turning away from being Ladybug after we failed that first mission."

His brow furrowed, "But why? You did a great job."

"I thought that initially but when the akuma multiplied and turned people to stone I thought it was my fault because I hadn't done the job properly. I had doubts when I first transformed. I thought Alya was far better suited to be a superhero."

His eyes searched her face, "I can't imagine anyone else being Ladybug."

"Can you believe I tried to palm the earrings off to her. I put them in her bag when Ivan switched back but she left the bag behind. I chased after her and when that car flipped I watched in horror. You saved her and in turn got captured. I couldn't stand by and do nothing so I put the earrings back on. Doubt continued to eat at me especially when we were criticised after saving Chloe. But there was one person who believed in me from the start, one person that made me stronger and made me believe I could be what he saw. You were always there for me kitty and I couldn't be the person I am now without you."

His hand stroked her jaw as he looked at her with wonder, "Do you really mean that?"

She nodded her head, "You make me a better person in so many ways. How many times have I let my emotions carry me off and you're there to ground me. You might follow me into battle but that doesn't make you second best, not by a long shot."

He pulled her closer and she felt him tremble against her. "I love you so much," he whispered against her ear. "I shouldn't have reacted so badly when you told me the truth."

Her arms tightened around him, "You had every right to be angry. I should have told you as soon as I became aware of who you really were but I didn't know how to handle it. I felt betrayed but I didn't think it was fair to lash out."

He winced, "No, I did that instead."

"Because I hurt you. We had betrayed each other's trust with the best of intentions."

He exhaled slowly, "Marinette I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for what I said."

"We were both at fault you can't take all the blame."

He shook his head as he squeezed her, "I totally screwed up. I'm so sorry for what I said and what I accused you of. Plagg pointed something out to me that I'd never even considered. We were in a love square."

"Love square? I've heard of a love triangle but a square?"

"I know, weird especially coming from Plagg but anyway let me see if I can explain it. Just so you know upfront Plagg used cheese to try and demonstrate this to me but he kept eating it so I hope I'm not too confusing," he smiled. "Originally Marinette loved Adrien but Adrien loved Ladybug not Marinette. Cat Noir also loved Ladybug but she loved Adrien not Cat Noir. There were two sides to our personas that were missing out on the love, Marinette and Cat Noir. Funnily enough those were the two sides that really connected. So essentially the love square has dissolved, that is if you do really love Cat Noir."

She studied him then leant on her elbow and cast a glance over her shoulder at the corkboard behind her. A perplexed look crossed his features until he saw what she was looking at. On the board was a collection of photos and images but right in the middle was a photo of Ladybug and Cat Noir arms linked as they smiled after an interview. He shifted closer to get a better look and it wasn't until Marinette's hand landed on his chest that he realised he was almost on top of her.

"So, is that a yes?" he breathed with such hope.

She slapped his bicep, "Of course silly kitty, I love you with all my heart."

He moved to kiss her but she placed a hand over his lips, "Now before we get to the kissing bit I've got something for you."

He raised a masked brow and spoke against her hand, "But I like the kissing bit."

"As do I, it's the stopping bit that generally takes a while."

He nodded, "Yeah that's true."

"I need you out of the cat suit."

"You know where my bell is," he said with a grin as he flicked it.

"I mean I need you as Adrien."

"And here I was getting my hopes up."

She rolled her eyes and moved to the stairs, "And you wonder why I thought you were a big flirt."

He gave a sarcastic pout, "I can't imagine where you got that idea."

"Anyway, come down here," she said with a wave of her hand.

He pranced down the stairs as he playfully twirled his tail. He jumped off the final step and landed in front of her. With a smirk, he lifted his chin. "Plagg, claws in."

She smiled as she watched him transform, "That's never going to get old."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Anyway," she said as she moved to the desk. "I finished it," she lifted his jacket into view.

He gasped as his eyes trailed over the black jacket. The green piping set it off better than he'd imagined. He lifted his hands to feel the textures, "It's awesome Marinette."

"Try it on," she held it open to display the green satin lining and he slipped his arms in the sleeves. Once again, she walked around him to adjust the collar and smooth it out. "I made a small alteration," she opened the left side and showed him. "There's a special inner pocket for Plagg. I even made it with a nifty plastic inner so he can have his gooey cheese."

Plagg immediately swooped into the pocket and settled himself in, "She's a keeper kid." His head popped up, "She left me cheese."

Adrien grinned at her, "You've made a friend for life or until your cheese supply runs out."

Plagg was half way through gnawing a wedge of cheese when he commented, "Well if he marries you in the future like he intends I guess I'll learn to live with you."

"Plagg," Adrien choked as his face turned the deepest shade of pink she'd ever seen.

Marinette giggled until Tikki spoke up. "Don't worry Adrien she's already decided on the names of your three kids."

"Tikki," Marinette squealed as she covered her face with her hands.

"Sorry I was trying to make him feel better."

Adrien's face was starting to return to its normal colour. "How about we transform so we can talk in peace," he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," she said looking between Tikki and Plagg who were both pouting.

Adrien laced his fingers through hers, "Can we transform here together?"

"Of course, kitty. Shall I go first?"

He nodded eagerly.

"Tikki," she called. Her red kwami floated over and smiled at Adrien. "Spots on."

He watched with awe as Tikki swirled and disappeared into Marinette's earrings then her magical transformation began. He was captivated as he watched her normal clothes change into the familiar red and black outfit that identified her as Ladybug. He'd imagined it many times but seeing it for real was so much better. As her yoyo came to rest at her hip he stepped back. "Plagg, claws out."

The tension he'd felt the first time he'd transformed into Cat Noir before her was gone and he put on a show. He flexed and twirled to give her a full view of his transformation. His usual cocky grin was back in place as he took her hand, "Well milady now that we're both wearing something much more magically there's somewhere we should go."

"Where did you have in mind?"

"Just follow me and you'll see," he said as he climbed the stairs. He launched through the skylight and held his hand out to her as she made her way up. He leaned near and his eyes were teasing, "That is if you can keep up." With that he wiggled his masked eyebrows and took off.

"Oh, I'll keep up," she shouted back as they sped across the rooftops. He led her on a merry dance and she was taken back as he made his way up the Eiffel Tower. He stopped in the exact location where he'd read her the poem. "Why are we here?" she said feeling a renewed sense of guilt.

He placed his hands behind his back and strode to stand before her, "Things are good between us now, yes?"

She nodded, "Yes I believe they are."

"Good because I wanted to show you what would have happened if you'd accepted my first poem." He moved his hand to unzip his pocket and pulled out a square of paper, "You see my poem had a sequel. Ahem, allow me to read it to you:

My suit is black,

But it's not shady,

My name is Adrien,

What's yours, milady?"

She could help laughing, "Such utter originality. Hmm looks like I need to answer you:

My suit is red,

My eyes are blue,

My name is Marinette

and I love you."

He gave a dreamy sigh and placed his hand over his heart, "Only my true love could come up with a poem as truly cheesy as mine."

She laughed, "So we're _purr_ fect for each other."

"Be still my heart she said another a cat pun."

She smiled and dipped her head, "You know kitty I've just realised something."

"Oh?"

"You've never kissed Ladybug."

His eyes widened and he swallowed, "N-no I haven't."

She sauntered closer to him, "Would you like to?"

"That is like the dumbest question in the world."

She draped her arms around his shoulders, "True but I wanted to see your reaction."

His arms wrapped around her and he dipped her, "Allow me to sate your curiosity." His face lowered slowly to hers and his eyes stayed open until the moment their lips met. He kissed her languidly at first and she had to stifle a giggle as she felt his chest vibrate as he purred. He pulled her upright and pressed her to a beam as his fervour increased. One of her hands lifted to his hair and caressed his cat ear which resulted in louder purring. Then Cat Noir kissed Ladybug with all the pent-up passion he'd been holding back for years.

When they eventually pulled away from each other she smiled up at him, "To think my first kiss was with Cat Noir."

He moved closer to stroke her cheek, "And mine was with you."

She lifted an eyebrow, "Really? I would have thought Chloe might have managed to pin you down to steal it away."

He rolled his eyes, "Believe me she's tried, I've become very skilled at evasive manoeuvres with that girl."

"Hmm, so you're an all-round sneaky kitty," she smirked.

He shrugged, "Having someone continually throw themselves at you isn't particularly appealing."

"Says the guy who continually threw himself at Ladybug," her hands rose to cover her mouth the moment the words slipped out.

He pulled back, "I never thought of it that way. I wasn't as bad as Chloe, was I?"

"I don't think you physically threw yourself it was more metaphorical."

"I think I'm beginning to understand why you never took me seriously. But enough about that," he laced his fingers through hers.

She smiled and pressed their linked hands against his chest, "So I've got my flirty kitty back."

He placed his forehead against hers, "You never really lost me."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"But there is one thing," he said as he drew back. "I believe you owe me a gelato."

"How do you figure that?"

He shrugged, "I didn't get to finish the last and I think Ladybug needs to take her superhero partner on a date."

She tapped her finger against her chin, "Sounds _purrfect_ to me."

"Hey, stop stealing my lines."

She shrugged, "Fine I'll leave the puns to you, spoilsport."

"Spoilsport? Is that the best you can do?"

She took his chin between her fingers, "No but I have a more effective way to silence you."

"Really?" he said as his eyes drifted to her lips.

"Yeah. I'm going to buy you another gelato," and with that Ladybug tossed her yoyo swinging away as she laughed. Behind her Cat Noir couldn't help grinning as he chased after her.

 _The End_

* * *

 **Wow I can't believe it's the end. It's been a fun journey and I want to say thank you for sharing it with me. I'll be spending some time on my other stories which have been a bit neglected while I've focussed on this one. That being said I've already started putting together a plot for another recipe. So stay tuned or please follow me as an author. Once again thank you for your support. It blew me away to reach 200 followers, you're all awesome. Cheers :)**


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